Complicated Vol 2
by PiscesGrl26
Summary: Sequel to Vol 1, the saiyans have narrowly escaped with their lives. Tarble thinks he can fix Pan's problems while she continues to chase after Trunks. Marron falls into depression. With a baby on the way, Goten gets a job at Capsule Corp with Trunks. Bra starts experiencing powerful "complications" with her pregnancy. Caulifla and Cabba finally admit their love for each other.
1. Chapter 1

There is a moment in everyone's life that changes everything. For Goten, he'd had more than his fair share of devastating and life altering moments. He thought he'd reached his quota, especially after saving his entire family from the very brink of death. What he never expected was something so utterly human to change everything.

"I don't understand."

Goten felt the world start spinning beneath his feet, as if he had no control over his body at all. A cold sweat crept over him starting from the top of his head to the base of his toes. He hunched forward and gripped his arms awkwardly. He was too afraid to look up from the floor. He was too afraid to see her face.

_What had he done?__  
_  
"G-Goten…"

He blinked and fought back actual tears of fear. He wasn't sure how to feel. His entire body was quivering. He wasn't ready for this. He didn't want this _now_. Besides, after years in a relationship with Marron, he'd started to think that maybe he couldn't have kids in the first place. He'd have screwed up before now if he _could_ procreate, right? It didn't make any sense.

The doctor took a few steps towards the door and cleared his throat.

"I'll leave you two alone to process. I'll be back in a bit to discuss this in more detail…"

When the door closed behind him, a heavy silence filled the room up like a giant balloon about to burst. Goten could feel the weight on his shoulders physically pulling down on his body. He couldn't breathe. He felt sick.

"Goten…"

He snapped his gaze up to Bra with wide eyes and felt his lip quivering. She seemed surprisingly calm. She smiled and clapped her hands over her mouth excitedly.

"This is…this is a _miracle_…" Bra said as tears formed in her delicate, blue eyes.

Goten's heart stopped.

"_What?"_

Her expression was so completely joyful that he wondered if she was in shock. Vibrant color had even returned to her pale, sickly complexion. In a daze, she continued to speak softly with a smile.

"It's an _actual_ miracle. I can't believe it…I feel…so _lucky_…"

Bra reached down and touched her stomach lovingly, but Goten's own stomach twisted into knots.

"You feel lucky? _Lucky?_ You don't even…how can you…your dad is going to fuckin murder me, Bra! How can you be so chill right now?"

Bra smirked and rolled her eyes. She sat up slowly and motioned for him to take a seat on the side of her bed. He took a few nervous steps forward and plopped down onto the bed in despair. Bra stretched her hand over to him and took his in hers tightly.

"Goten…I know this is scary. Maybe…I'm so chill because I'm in shock, I don't know. What I do know is that we weren't careful and now here we are. I guess I've always prepared myself for something like this…but I don't regret it and I wouldn't change a thing. Everything we've been through…everything we're survived…it's brought us to this moment right here. Goten, I love you. I want this. We can do this. I'm alive because of _you_…"

Goten frowned and looked in the other direction. He pulled his hand away and stood up again. He walked towards the window at the far end of her makeshift hospital room and rested his forehead against the cold glass with a dull thud. He watched the rain pour down on their busy city like waves crashing over the ocean and felt like screaming. He couldn't possibly relate to her in this moment. She had to be losing her mind.

He looked out at that beautiful city longingly, thinking about how much he wanted to move there permanently and get a small apartment. He wanted to build a sweet, custom motorcycle and ride across the country with a band of other bikers. He wanted to have crazy parties and get so wasted that he couldn't remember half of them. He wanted his girlfriend to keep a toothbrush at his place so she could spend the night here and there. Most of all, he wanted to have fun and stop feeling like the worst screw-up on the planet.

A loud clap of thunder startled him, shifting his thoughts to the moment that he'd had with his father earlier at the site of the strange stone prison. He felt so complete at that moment. _He'd_ saved the day instead of Goku. He was finally the hero and Goku appreciated him for something that was all Goten's accomplishment. Gohan had nothing to do with it, nor did Trunks. Goten had finally filled his father's shoes in a big way, yet he wasn't even able to enjoy it.

In that moment on top of the pile of rubble, Goku's intentions were clear. He promised he'd be more involved in Goten's life. He promised he'd treat Goten like he'd always treated Gohan and get to know him better. Did that mean he would be there for Goten's child like he was for Pan? Or would he just abandon him again at the first opportunity and leave yet another child to grow up without him?

"_Goten_."

Goten sighed heavily and pulled himself away from the window. He knew Bra was probably getting mad about his reaction to the whole thing, but he couldn't help it. He had to ask the question that was burning in the front of his mind first. He had to know if this was going to be the end of everything he'd ever dreamed of or if he was just overreacting.

"So…what are the uh…_options_…here?" Goten asked, looking up at the ceiling.

Bra's smile dropped into absolute disgust.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I just mean…are you…are you _really_ going to keep it?" Goten groaned like a grumpy child.

"Are you _seriously_ going to suggest an _abortion_ right now?" She gasped.

He had to change his course. Obviously she wasn't considering that as an option at all. Her eyes seemed to light on fire with anger and even flickered a strange shade of pink. He felt a little scared.

"No…No, I'm sorry…" Goten stuttered, "I'm like…freaking the fuck out…I'm sorry."

He looked at her stomach, which she had been gently rubbing for a while now. He returned to the side of her bed and leaned down to her level.

"C-Can…Can I?"

She was still hurt and angry, but she nodded reluctantly. He took a deep breath and placed a hand on her stomach gently. A sudden rush of emotion flooded through his body. He gasped.

"What?" She asked.

"That's…that's my kid in there…" Goten whispered.

"Yeah…it sure is, ass face."

Goten chuckled and closed his eyes. In the blackness, he could see a little flicker of light. The beautiful energy he recognized as Bra's ki was enveloped around a tiny ball of white. It was so faint, yet it filled Goten's heart with love like nothing he'd ever experienced before.

"I can feel their ki…I can see it…" He said softly, smiling.

"_You can_?" She gasped, "Why can't I?"

"I can see a white light…It's so pure…"

Bra's eyes filled with tears of joy. She opened her arms and wrapped them around Goten's head, squeezing him against her chest.

"I love you so much, Goten…I'm so happy…" Bra squealed.

He laughed and hugged her back, feeling more at ease than before.

"I love you, too…"

Suddenly heavy footsteps could be heard running down the hallway. Trunks flung the door open. He was panting and rested for a second before speaking.

"Guys…the other doctor just found mom and dad before I did and I think he's telling them about it. Goten, your mom is standing there, too…just prepare for…"

A loud crash sounded from below and the three instantly felt a huge ki rise up and explode.

"They…must have…told Vegeta…" Goten whispered, turning pale white.

"_And_ Chichi…so…" Trunks said, backing away from the door. "I'm gonna…go get some food…bye!"

They could hear him open the hallway window and fly off just as Vegeta started to storm up the stairs.

"_Goten_! You impudent fool! I will murder you right here, right now!" Vegeta roared from down the hall.

"Not before _I_ do! How could you be so _stupid_?" Chichi's voice screeched, closely behind Vegeta.

Bra pulled the covers over her head and shrunk down into the bed. Goten stood up and looked all around for escape, but there was none.

In a split second, Vegeta and Chichi were standing in the open doorway. Vegeta looked like he was about to go great ape. He was angry as ever with his veins sticking out of his neck and hands balled up into fists. Chichi's hair seemed to be standing on end and her face was completely red. Bulma was trotting up behind them when Chichi entered the room and walked right up to her son, pointing a finger in his face.

"How and when the _hell_ did this happen?" Chichi shouted angrily.

Bulma ran past Vegeta and put both hands on Chichi's shoulders.

"Okay, okay, let's take this down a notch. Chichi, you do _not_ want an honest answer to that question. Vegeta, _calm down!"_

Vegeta pointed an angry finger in Bulma's face and opened his mouth to shout, but she smacked it away and shouted first.

"Don't you point that finger at me! Bra is a grown woman. She can handle the consequences of her actions without you two acting like it's the end of the world! Geez…think about where our families were only a few hours ago…think about how close we were to losing every single one of you…and through all of that, there's a new life…a _saiyan_ life…shouldn't the prince of all saiyans be _happy_ about that?"

Bra peeked up out of the covers and frowned, "Thanks, mom…but what do you mean by consequences exactly?"

Bulma smiled and crossed her arms, "Babies are a lot of work, but you'll find out soon enough."

Through all of the commotion and Vegeta still completely frozen in place, Goten noticed that Goku was now standing in the hallway and peeking inside.

"Goku, what are you doing?" Chichi growled, "Get in here and tell our son how stupid he is!"

Goku stood up straight and walked in. He stood beside Chichi and stared at Goten and Bra. A smile crept onto his clueless face. He looked at Bra's belly, then at Goten.

"I'm…I'm gonna be a grandpa again?" Goku asked slowly.

"Yes." Chichi answered, "And don't you even think about running off to train on some planet! You'll be staying right here on Earth to help raise _this_ one in a complete family unit this time!"

Goten stood up straight and looked his father in the eyes. He puffed his chest out and tried to seem as strong and confident as he could. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it the right way. He would show Goku and Gohan that he could be a better father than any other man in their family had ever been.

"Mom…I will be getting my own place here in the city with Bra. I'll get a job. I'm going to prove that I can do this the right way. I'm going to take care of her."

Chichi laughed, "You don't even know what a steady job _means_! Gohan is the only man in this family with any kind of work ethic when it comes to making _real_ money!"

Goku fell forward, deflated.

"Besides, I'll bet you think Bulma is just going to lend you money for a deposit, _don't_ you?" Chichi growled.

Bulma shook her head with a clear "hell no".

"But Mom…you can't just expect Goten to pay for _everything_! I can't get a job if I'm pregnant!" Bra gasped in disbelief.

Bulma and Chichi laughed hysterically.

"Tons of women work until the baby falls out, dear! Welcome to real life! I've spoiled you and your brother a little too much, I think. I was still working the day you were born!"

"It's time you figured your life out for yourself!" Chichi added, pointing at the two of them, "You think your big, responsible adults? Good luck!"

Goten raised his head proudly and nodded.

"I accept that challenge! I'll prove to you that I can be just as awesome as Gohan at being a responsible adult, mom!"

He pointed at his mother and gave her a thumbs up, but she crossed her arms, still clearly disappointed.

"Well, I suppose there could have been worse things…especially if you would have knocked up that ditzy girl with the brown hair."

Goten laughed and motioned for her to stop talking while Bra glared angrily at Chichi.

"On that note…how about we all give Bra some time to rest?" Gohan said casually, walking in the room from the hallway, "This is a lot of stuff at once guys…after what Goten just did for all of us, I think it's safe to let him have a break from all of the judgments and orders."

Bulma, Chichi and Vegeta angrily shook their heads and began to yell at Gohan for intruding, but he held up a firm hand and shushed them.

"I've gotta go to the University and make sure they haven't fired me for being gone for a day without calling, but I need to talk to Goten privately first. Everyone out...please."

Defeated, they filed out of the room one by one. Vegeta stopped and gave Goten one last angry glare before following a bouncy, happy Goku. Gohan nodded for Goten to follow him into the hall. Goten put his hands in his pockets nervously and dragged his feet. He hated when Gohan did this.

Goten shut the wooden door behind him and followed his brother down the hall for a little while in silence. Once Gohan felt that they were far enough away from Bra's earshot, he turned around with a firm expression and stared at Goten. He placed his hands on Goten's shoulders and smiled.

"I honestly didn't expect that I'd need to say this so soon…but before I do…"

Goten watched anxiously as his brother took a deep breath and blushed slightly.

"It was me that walked in on you with Marron the other day. I…I need to know that it was a onetime thing. If you ruin it with this girl over _that_ girl…it's just not right…I taught you to be a better man than that, Goten."

Goten laughed loudly, "That was _you?_ Oh, God…I totally forgot all about that. Look, _she_ kissed _me_ and it was a onetime thing! Look, I don't have feelings for her at all! But wait…you don't think I was stupid for dumping Marron? I thought you sided with mom on that whole situation. Wasn't she the perfect wife or something?"

Gohan dropped his arms to his sides and smiled.

"You're wrong about that. You're wild and crazy, much more than I was at your age. Truthfully, she was holding you down. I want you to live your life the way you want to, bro. That's all."

Gohan walked to the large window at the center of the hallway and rested his hands on the wooden sill. Goten could hear that the rain was coming down even harder than before. He could see a small flood starting outside along the road around Gohan's head.

"Goten, I knew that you weren't really happy with her. You liked the idea of her, a girl with a stable family and a stable career path. It made mom happy. I think you were trying to please everyone but yourself for a long time."

Goten rested his back against the wall and crossed his arms. He began to trace the tile lines on the floor with his foot. Gohan continued.

"You wanted a family to accept you because as much as I tried, I was never a father to you. I was only your older brother. When Videl and I built our house out here, you started acting out in ways that I never expected from you…but I knew you were just terribly unhappy and angry with dad."

Gohan turned away from the window and smiled at his younger brother with pride.

"Goten, I guess what I'm saying is that I'm here for you. I want you to do this right and no matter how much advice our father gives you, I understand that he wasn't there for you like you wanted him to be. I know that you're always going to be mad at him deep inside. I _know_ you. So…please come to me when you need help. I don't want you to forget how much I tried to teach you throughout all of these years..."

Goten couldn't believe how open Gohan was being with him. Gohan was usually very private about anything personal. He didn't like to express his feelings, which is what made him such an obedient teenager. Even as a grown man, Goten had yet to see or hear a fight with Videl or Pan get out of hand. Gohan was the most respectable man he'd ever known. He felt so lucky to have him as a brother.

"Yeah, bro…I get what you're saying. I appreciate it…and I won't forget it." Goten nodded.

Gohan patted Goten's back firmly before beginning to walk away.

"Hey, wait. One more thing." Goten said, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Yes?" Gohan answered.

Goten felt uncomfortable asking, but he knew it had to be said.

"Can you please forget what you saw with Marron? Don't tell anyone…I really want to forget that it ever happened…seriously…"

Gohan gave him a simple thumbs up and turned away.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Goten awoke feeling groggy and drained from the day before. The heavy curtains hanging from the window to the side were parted ever-so-slightly, allowing the morning sun to peek through and shine right into Goten's eyes. He reluctantly lifted his head to check the time on the alarm clock beside his bed.

"Seven? Ugh…" He groaned, curling back into a ball within the warm, expensive comforter.

Awake and annoyed, his latent thoughts began to swirl around in his head like a tsunami. Fatherhood seemed too scary to picture at this particular point in time, so he resorted to picturing Bra as a mother instead. From the little that he knew about her thus far, he imagined her to be the "cool mom" from Mean Girls. She would likely allow the kid to get away with anything, right? She was a party girl at heart. Of course, she could swing the other direction and turn into a strict mom with high expectations. He quickly remembered that Bulma was far from that and crossed out that idea in his mind.

When he finally decided that he should get out of bed and head out into the kitchen for breakfast, he stretched out and yawned loudly. Just as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and touched his toes to the ground, he heard a quiet knock at the front door of the Capsule Corp house. Who would be visiting so early?

Heavy footsteps ran out from the kitchen area to open the door. He could hear people whispering. After a few seconds, two sets of feet began to tiptoe their way past Goten's door and further down the hallway. Overwhelmed with curiosity, Goten hopped out of bed and rushed to the wall that he shared with the next room over. He placed an ear against the cold, smooth wall hastily and listened with all of his might.

Right away he could hear Marron talking in a hushed tone. She sounded very upset. Goten looked down for better footing and scooted his knee onto the small, decorative chair that sat against the wall. He leaned forward onto its tall, quilted back for support to listen closer.

"Trunks, I don't understand what's wrong with you. I can't believe you support this!" Marron gasped angrily.

"This is ridiculous. It's not your problem. Did you only come over to yell at me in person? You've been saying the same thing over and over again all night long!" Trunks growled.

"Are you _serious_ right now? What exactly do you feel like I've been repeating?" Marron hissed.

"Look…I'm not gonna fight with you. You keep picking these crazy fights and I'm over it, man. I don't know what you think you are to me. You don't want to hook up, you don't want to be my girlfriend…what exactly _do_ you want?"

Goten's jaw clenched anxiously.

"Wow, tell me how you really feel, asshole!" Marron shouted loudly.

"It's obvious, alright? I totally get it. I know what you're doing and I'm so over it." Trunks answered, equal in volume.

"What am I doing? Please…explain to me what I'm doing!"

"I know you still love him, alright? I know you do! You're using me to get close to him again and now…I can't let you do that. I can't let you get between him and my sister…not when there's a kid involved. I can't do this with you anymore!"

Goten backed away from the wall and felt like he'd just finished an episode of Grey's Anatomy. He sat back on the bed and rubbed his forehead. Would Marron never understand that they were over for good? Was it his fault for leading her on the other night?

"Hey, Ten?"

Goten jumped and landed on the floor with a loud bang. His bedroom door was slightly open and a shimmer of bright blue hair was leaning inside of the doorway.

"_Bra?_ What are you doing out of bed?"

"I guess I could ask you the same question." Bra laughed, looking down at him with a wide grin.

"I don't know…I just woke up early. I guess it's all the crazy shit that went down yesterday."

Goten got up from the floor and sauntered over towards her. He wanted to look cool and collected, but he was still reeling on the inside from the emotional explosion happening just next door.

"I wanted to go out today." Bra smiled, "I want to look for apartments."

He leaned his shoulder against the open door and crossed his arms. He looked down at her IV injection site and frowned. She quickly covered it up with her hand.

"The doctors say that my test results this morning are substantially better. Must be saiyan strength healing or something. I just want to get out of the house…I'm okay. I'm feeling _totally_ recharged."

Goten sighed loudly, "You should still take today to rest, babe."

She frowned, "I can do whatever I want…_babe!"_

Her Vegeta-like attitude pierced her cute, playful personality like an angry wasp. Goten couldn't help himself from laughing just a little bit. He dropped his arms to his sides and stood up straight.

"Okay, okay! Let me get some clothes on then…"

Bra quickly jumped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. She looked up, resting her chin on his abs and smirked.

"No…don't do that just yet…"

Goten felt Bra's hand grab his butt into her palm. She squeezed and pushed him backwards a little bit. He stumbled and struggled to keep his footing.

"Bra! The door's open…what are you doing?" Goten laughed, slightly embarrassed.

She placed a fingertip on his lips and smiled. She shoved him onto his bed and rushed forward. He felt her knees at his side digging into the bed almost instantly while she crawled on top of him.

"Bra!" Goten exclaimed.

"Shut up!" She answered with a kiss.

Her hungry kiss lit him on fire. He entangled his fingers in her hair and began wrestling with her tongue. One hand began moving down to her backside, but he must've slid over one of her injuries. He felt her flinch and stopped instantly.

"Are you okay?" He asked, panting.

"Stop worrying about me…I can handle it. It's not a big deal." She answered, trying to continue the kiss.

"Bra, I don't want to hurt you."

Her hand snaked its way behind his head. She closed her fingers in his hair and yanked downwards.

"Not possible…" She whispered with an evil smirk.

Goten closed his eyes and allowed her to consume him into their fit of passion.

"I want it so bad…" She groaned, grinding on him slightly.

"God, you're a bad girl…just lemme close the door…"

She rolled off of him and allowed him to hop up and run to the door. Just as he gripped it to slam it shut, he looked up to find two sets of eyes paralyzed in the hallway.

"_Goten! _Dude!"

There Trunks stood, mouth hanging open, with Marron standing equally horrified at his side.

"What the hell is _wrong_ with you?" Marron gasped.

She ran towards the front door of the house dramatically, stomping her feet. Trunks held out a hand after her briefly, but shifted his attention back to his friend and his sister.

"God, you two…what were you thinking? Your ki was going crazy…dad will sense it if you keep that up for too long! You're lucky he's still asleep!"

Bra giggled, "Oops…forgot about that little detail."

Goten blushed, "You mean…oh, _shit_. I didn't even think about that!"

"Just…stop making out all over the place!" Trunks exclaimed.

Bra stuck out her tongue like a child and waved Trunks away.

When he left, purposely leaving the door open again, she turned herself towards Goten and held out a hand enthusiastically.

"Let's go out for breakfast! I want chocolate chip pancakes!"

He took her hand cautiously, still afraid that Vegeta would come running down the staircase to kill him. He peeked over his shoulder slowly.

"Oh, don't listen to Trunks! My dad sleeps like a dead tree…he didn't sense it or you'd already be dead."

Goten laughed nervously, unable to shake the nerves.

Bra shrugged and hopped off of the bed. With a slight twinge, she started to walk away and stun Goten as she shook her body back and forth like a super model on a runway. His eyes traveled again from her perfect hair bouncing from side to side and down her sleek, exquisite body. Everything about her looks screamed perfection. Calming himself with haste, he followed her out like a lost puppy.

A bit later in the day, Goten sat inside of a particularly expensive, dark-blue sports car that resembled the bat mobile. Bra insisted on driving, but she looked a bit uncomfortable. She was squinting and staring into space.

"Hey uh, what's on your mind?" He laughed as he watched her face inquisitively, "You look…concerned."

She opened her mouth, but closed it again, and then sighed.

"I just…why was Marron at the house this morning? I thought they were like…not a thing anymore?"

Goten's interest was piqued, "I thought that they were a couple?"

She gave him a sly glance, "Oh, Goten…you're such a guy. He brought her to Mikio's party that night and totally ignored her. Then they went home and she didn't want to go to his place, so he was like okay do you like me and she's like oh I don't know. Then it's all downhill from there. They're a hot mess!"

Goten felt weird, "Doesn't it weird you out to talk to her about your brother like that? He's just my friend and it weirds me out. I couldn't talk about Gohan like that…too weird."

She frowned, "No. Why would it? He's a grown ass man. I don't care who he bangs."

Goten felt stupid and sighed. He certainly cared who Pan was dating, even though she was his niece and not his sister. He cringed at the idea of her dating anyone period and returned his thoughts to Trunks and Marron.

"So…why do you think they aren't actually couple? I thought they were…uh…getting along?"

Bra laughed, "Because she's still into you, silly."

A strange gasping sound escaped Goten's lips before he could speak again.

"You're so…honest."

She shrugged, "Would you have me any other way? Anywho, you're mine, and she knows it. So she's like going _crazy_. Also, we should go visit Mikio in the hospital. I overheard some doctors saying he was getting discharged tonight."

Goten realized he'd forgotten to share a crucial piece of knowledge with Bra and word-vomited immediately.

"Uh…by the way, Mikio is a saiyan."

Bra gasped, "What? Another saiyan? Wait…then why wasn't he kidnapped? What the actual _fuck_, Goten? Do you think his parents knew about our parents? Oh, my God!"

Goten slapped his forehead, "You think too fast for your own good!"

She frowned and looked ahead, "Well…I _definitely_ have some questions for him now…"

"Did you wanna check out apartments first, though?" Goten asked, dreading seeing Mikio again, "I don't think he's going anywhere just yet."

Bra heaved a heavy sigh.

"Sure…"

She pulled up to a newer-looking apartment building and exited the car quickly. A few guys on the street stopped to stare and smiled as though she might give them the time of day. Goten was ready to punch them in the jaw.

"Wow…" One man said in a slow, drawn out voice.

Not bothered by the attention, Bra reached for Goten's hand and took it into hers. The men deflated and kept walking with sour expressions. Goten suddenly felt so empowered. As they marched inside of the brand new apartment building, he tried to let go of all the tension and stress he carried inside. A life loving Bra was a life worth living. For the first time in a long time, he felt like his heart was repairing itself.


	3. Chapter 3

Caulifla's tired eyes blinked open slowly. She'd been dreaming the most beautiful dream on such a comfortable, soft pillow. She hated waking up from good dreams, but she supposed it was better than having a nightmare. At least she was comfortable and not on her rock-hard bed from planet Vampa.

It suddenly dawned on her that she was in fact back home on Earth. It was a strange thought to call Earth home, especially being that it wasn't even the same universe she'd called home for the majority of her life. Sadala seemed like a distant memory now. Surely she'd have to go home and visit soon. Champa would probably make an exception for her, wouldn't he? She'd trained harder than ever in an effort to better herself as a warrior. She might even be able to hold her own against him.

A fleeting image of her dearest friend floated into her mind. She felt an aching sadness sweep over her and pulled her comforter up to her chin. She wondered how Kale was back there on Sadala all alone. She hadn't heard from Kale in years, yet she still felt connected to her friend. Maybe that was just what happened when you fused together for the biggest battle in the history of the universe. They were forever linked on some level, no matter how small.

Whilst reminiscing about Kale, Caulifla turned over in her bed and bumped into something warm. Her eyes flew open all the way. Was someone in her bed? She jumped up from the cozy mattress and took her defensive stance. Sure enough, there was a body lying beside her.

"Oy! What the fuck!" She shouted angrily.

"Mmm?"

The body began to stir under the covers. She wasn't in the mood for games. What a _creep_.

"Get the hell outta my bed! Who the hell do you think you are?" She growled, ready for a fight.

She felt a breeze creep over her skin and shivered. She peered down and realized she was completely naked. Shocked and embarrassed, she covered herself up as best she could, scrambling to find her clothes. The room was dark, but the window a few feet away provided just enough light to see the outline of the bed. She quickly grabbed the blanket that she'd just been wrapped up in and threw it over her body protectively.

"Hey!"

A man's voice groaned. Still not realzing where she was, she searched for a light switch. She felt along the cold wall anxiously, tripping over the blanket. When she found a switch, she smacked it upwards and gasped. The person now sitting equally as naked was not who she expected in the slightest.

"Cauli, what the hell are you doing?" He asked, blushing and covering himself with a pillow.

She gasped and covered her eyes.

"Um, I'm trying to figure out what _you_ are doing in _my_ bed!"

She peeked through her fingers. Cabba looked completely mortified and backed up against the headboard. He tried to ignore the fact that the bed practically fell apart when he moved. She marveled at the beautiful wooden headboard that was cracked right down the middle and hanging on by a thread. Her eyes traveled further away from Cabba and to the bedside table that was kicked over on its side, revealing a broken lamp and a phone ripped off of its wires. Across the room, a television was facedown and still smoking a bit, likely completely broken since the wires were pulled out of the wall. Finally, she found her clothes scattered about. Cabba's clothes also decorated the floor, but Caulifla gasped out loud when she saw her thong torn in three pieces laying at her feet.

"C-Cabba…what…what happened?" She cried.

"Are you kidding?" He choked, looking injured and clutching the pillow tighter.

"I'm not. I don't remember any of this…hey, did you fuckin' drug me or somethin'?"

Cabba's embarrassment turned to complete horror. His mouth fell open.

"You've got to be joking!"

Cabba's eyes shot down to the ground. He appeared to be trembling just a bit. She wondered what he was thinking waking up to a trashed room and seeing a woman he hadn't been around for five whole years completely naked.

"Look, just level with me here…I've only been back on Earth for a few hours now…maybe my brain is all out of sync or whatever." She shrugged, relaxing a bit.

"It's not…we were drinking. I told you it was a bad idea…you've never been good with alcohol…"

"So then you must be having trouble remembering things, too, right?" She asked enthusiastically.

"Uh…" He looked up at her shyly, "S-sure…"

"I was sleeping so well…are we at some hotel? This is fancy…" She smiled.

"Yeah, it's a hotel. I wasn't going to go back home tonight…" Cabba sighed, "C-can I have the blanket back, please?"

She laughed, "Oh, sorry."

She crawled back onto the bed, keeping herself covered and offered his side of the blanket back. He grabbed it from her and covered himself from the waist down before continuing his story.

"Don't you remember going to dinner? You stayed back after everyone left the hospital…do you at least remember what happened to Krillin?" He asked, looking up at the ceiling.

"Yeah. The heart attack…I remember. Goku was literally freaking out."

"He should be. It's his best friend that he hadn't seen in five years…he might not make it out of the woods on this one. I should know. I've never seen a heart attack like that and I've been a resident for two years now. I like cardio…I might focus on it for good…it's why Bulma had me on his medical team."

Caulifla laughed. He looked wounded again and frowned.

"What's funny about that?"

"I just can't believe you gave up training for a human career. I remember hearing you talk about it before I left, but I didn't think you were serious. You were the strongest fighter on Sadala back in the day…you really gave up training to cut people open?"

Cabba sighed, "Who said I gave up training?"

"You can't possibly have time to focus on both." She answered, looking over her fingernails casually.

"You'd be surprised what I can do with just a little bit of time…"

He blushed and looked away from her quickly. Caulifla was starting to understand what happened between them, but she was still in denial. There was no way he would have slept with her. The last time they drank together and she kissed him back on Sadala, he left for Earth and never spoke about it again. It was like it never happened in the first place.

"C-Cabba…" Caulifla whispered.

He turned his head back to face her but hesitated.

"What?"

Caulfila felt her heart flutter. He was so innocent and pure. What had she done to him? Had she ripped her own thong to pieces trying to seduce him? She pulled the blanket up over her nose so that only her eyes were showing and wanted to run away. How embarrassing.

"Hey…what's wrong?" He asked, gently pulling the blanket down from her face.

"I'm just sorry for whatever I made you do! I'm sure I was crazy…I mean…look at this place…"

Cabba's face fell into a serious frown. He looked uncomfortable, but in a way she'd never seen him look before. His lips pursed together into a straight line and his eyes wandered away from her again.

"It wasn't all you…don't worry…" He admitted, blushing so red he looked like he was on fire.

"Oh?"

Caulifla felt her stomach do a tiny backflip. She wasn't much for subtleties.

"So, let's get this thing straight. Obviously there's an elephant in the room." Caulifla began, sitting up against the rickety, broken headboard, "Let's go over this…"

"What is there to go over? I'm sure you can gather what…"

She cut him off with a finger on his lips.

"So, you and I went out drinking to catch up…I think I remember that…"

Cabba shifted anxiously and pushed her hand away, "Yes."

"Then we…started drinking…"

"Yes."

"Then? I'm drawing a blank here…"

"Then…I kissed you."

Caulifla gasped. How forward of him. She was afraid to look at him. She wanted to continue piecing things together, but what could she say next?

"I'm sorry…maybe I shouldn't have when we'd been drinking so much…it's just that the bar across the street noticed how drunk we were and since they know my family I couldn't really leave without assuring the owner that I wasn't going to drive anywhere. It's not like I could tell them that we could just fly home. I felt sort of obligated to stay at the hotel…and you were so wasted. I could barely get you up here…"

Suddenly it began to come back to her. She remembered the loud, dark bar full of drunken people laughing and dancing the night away. She remembered having shot after shot of her favorite coconut-flavored vodka and laughing each time Cabba tried not to gag on them. He was such a light weight. She remembered checking into the hotel and standing in the elevator, giggling like idiots and bothering the other people just trying to get back to their rooms for the night.

Then it happened.

She remembered standing outside of the hotel room door and fumbling with the key card. She remembered grabbing onto Cabba's shirt for support and laughing, but locking onto his gaze long enough to create an electric jolt between them. He unlocked the door and fell inside, grabbing her for support this time and landing against a wall.

The door slammed shut behind them. The lights were off. She felt him rush forward. It was on.

"I can't believe we did it…like…we did it." Caulifla whispered.

"Yeah. I don't really know what I'm supposed to say to that." Cabba shrugged, still obviously embarrassed.

"I remember…the couch…" She choked.

The couch across the room in front of the window was lop-sided. One leg was broken in the front and the fancy cushion back was destroyed. She smiled.

"Sorry about that. I don't know what came over me." Caulifla laughed.

The image was getting clearer. In her cloudy memories, she saw Cabba growing more and more excited, but he wasn't moving forward. They remained locked in a clumsy and messy makeout session for longer than Caulifla could possibly keep track of. He was satisfied by that it seemed. He had no idea just how long she'd waited for this moment.

Finally she grabbed him by the waist and slid her hands up his sides aggressively. She pulled his shirt off of his head and tossed it aside. Against her bare midriff, she felt his thin yet muscular frame. He hadn't stopped training after all.

Driven by her instincts, she shoved him towards the couch. They both tripped their way towards the window and fell simultaneously, leaving Caulifla on top. She flattened him out and crawled on top of him like a leopard about to pounce on its prey. He was panting heavily and staring straight into her eyes with his mouth open and watering. She smirked. The power she felt on top of him was intoxicating.

She lunged, landing on his lips like a rockslide and shoving her toungue into his mouth. He quivered and tried to wrap his arms around her, but she didn't let him. She grabbed his hands and held them tightly above his head, breaking the arm of the couch with little effort from the sheer force of holding him down.

"Oh, God…" Cabba moaned.

She realized she was grinding on him without actually meaning to. He was getting overwhelmed.

"C'mere." She purred.

She got up and sauntered over to the bed.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked seductively.

"What do you want to do?" He answered, still panting and bothered.

She smirked. She reached behind her back and undid the clasp that held her top together. The soft fabric cascaded downwards and pooled onto the floor, revealing her perky breasts in all of their glory. Cabba's eyes got as big as his forehead.

"Woah!" He gasped.

"Yes." She answered confidentially, "Now…come. Here."

She put one leg back on the bed and urged Cabba to her. He rose up and hurried over, jumping on top of her like an overexcited child at an amusement park. She giggled, but the room was starting to spin a bit.

"You, sir…you are so hot." She laughed.

"No way. You are." He answered, equally as silly.

They began to kiss again, wrestling playfully. Caulifla reached her feet up to his pants and slid them down in one swift motion, revealing everything that Cabba had to offer. She was very pleasantly surprised.

"Yes!" She exclaimed.

He blushed and held himself over her.

"S-Should I do it to?" He asked.

"Do what?" She smirked, feeling dangerous.

He leaned back on his knees and stared at her for the briefest moment. In a leap of courage, he took the sides of her loose-fitting pants in his fingers and yanked them down her long legs. She was wearing a hot pink thong, which made him literally look like he might die. He simply stared at her with his mouth open again.

"C-Cabba?" She asked, "You okay?"

He glanced up at her quickly. With all of his might, he grabbed the sides of her thong and ripped it clear off of her body. She squealed in delight.

Sitting in bed beside him after the fact, she felt herself growing excited just thinking about the night they'd shared together. Her memories were still a little fuzzy. Cabba was silent. Perhaps he was picturing everything, too, considering she could tell how excited he was through the blanket he had flat against his body.

"Are you okay?" She asked, peering up at him from her pillow.

"I'm fine. Please stop asking if I'm okay. I'm okay." He sighed.

"Okay." She answered, a bit deflated.

The smoking television started to fizzle out. She stared at it and tried to remember how that happened, but she simply couldn't. She had to ask. The curiosity was killing her.

"Do…do you remember how that happened?" She asked.

He cleared his throat.

"Yes. You uh…you bumped into it…when we were on the uh…the dresser over there…"

Caulifla felt her stomach flip. The instant flashback hit her in the face like a brick wall.

Cabba was on top of her, leaning her up against the dresser. He had yet to penetrate her. She got the sense that he was a little scared. Besides, he was far too busy fondling her breasts like he'd just discovered the holy grail.

"Cabba…I…I want you…" She moaned, wrapping one leg around him.

"I know just…just give me a little longer…" He begged, burying himself between her breasts.

"I can't wait anymore!" She growled, "Just do it!"

She pushed him back. Her fiery eyes burned into him.

"Uh…"

He stood there awkwardly at attention. He was looking around and panting heavily, completely lost.

"Oh, my God, Cabba!" Caulifla sighed, "Just _kiss_ me."

"What?" He asked, "I thought…I mean I was already…"

"Kiss me…like you did that one time on Sadala…only this time, don't stop."

"I'm not sure if I…"

Caulifla frowned angrily, gritting her teeth together.

"Okay, okay!" He said frantically waving his hands in surrender.

Still nervous, he approached her again and pressed his body up against hers. She felt the dresser dig into her bag and smirked devilishly. He reached up and touched her cheek gently. She flinched at the first touch but relaxed and accepted it after a moment. She closed her eyes and leaned into his palm as he caressed her skin gently.

Cabba watched her, knowing she wasn't going to wait much longer. His mouth hung open idly as he reached up with his other hand and brushed her hair back from her face.

"You know…you're so…beautiful…" Cabba whispered, admiring her honestly.

She gasped. It was as though a punch had taken her wind away, only this time, she was breathless for a completely different reason.

Cabba's newfound drive pushed him upwards. His lips met hers for the last time in a fiery collision. He pushed her onto the dresser top into a sitting position, where she wrapped her legs around his waist and embraced his body.

"Cabba…" Caulifla whispered, tipping her head back and letting his aggressive kisses move down her neck.

Her hands dug into the back of his head as her fingers entwined within his thick, black hair. Just as he was running out of ideas, she yanked his head backwards and kissed his neck suddenly. Her kissing was so different than his, more forceful.

"Ah…" Cabba gasped, trying to catch his breath, "C-Caulifla…"

"Mmm, Cabba…" Caulifla moaned, rubbing herself against him.

She smirked and looked down at him. He blushed.

"I'm s-sorry, it's not really under my control right now…" He apologized.

"Oh?" She said seductively moving her hands down his chest.

In a bold move, she reached down and grabbed him where he'd never been grabbed before. He let out a small gasp, but allowed her to continue in an up and down motion. He looked like he might faint.

"Cabba…You're _really_ nervous, aren't you? Haven't you ever…you know…seen any of this stuff before?" Caulifla asked.

"Seen it?" He exclaimed, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, there's that thing called the internet here on Earth…weren't you ever curious about stuff…while I was away…" Caulifla suggested.

"No! No I didn't…what?" He sputtered.

"I'll just have to show you then…" She smirked.

"Holy good God oh, God!" Cabba groaned.

Using her legs, she yanked him on top of her, shoving him inside of her in an instant. He felt bigger than he looked. She wasn't expecting the pull she felt. She groaned and let her head fall back.

"Woah!" He exclaimed, "Woah…wow..."

"Cabba. Shut. Up." She panted.

He began to thrust. It took him a few tries to get the motion right, but after a while, he was beginning to crack the dresser. Caulifla was losing her grip and reached for what she thought might be sturdy enough to help, but instead the television toppled forward and smashed. Cabba stopped, but Caulifla could've cared less.

She hopped off of the dresser and shoved him backwards. He fell against the bedside table and knocked it over. The lamp shattered, though they hadn't used it in the first place. She smiled through the darkness and crawled on top of him on the bed. This time, she easily slid onto him and began to rock forward and backward.

She felt Cabba's hands shoot up and grab her sides. He was groaning and squirming like crazy, unable to contain himself. She felt herself skyrocketing upwards the faster that she went. She knew it was only a matter of time.

The delicious climb began slowly, but drove her to go even faster. She reached up with both hands and held onto the headboard, easily snapping it in two. The power was building inside of her like an active volcano. She had to let it go. It was too good to wait any longer.

An explosion of yellow and white flames washed over the room. Her black hair spiked into golden locks and her black eyes turned bright green. She felt a renewed sense of stamina inside, continuing her ruthless pace.

In response, Cabba also transformed, matching her on every level plus some. He pushed her off of him and flipped her over.

"What are you doing?" She gasped, still smiling.

"Something." He answered.

"Oh!"

He shoved himself inside of her while resting on his knees. He grabbed her hips and used his super saiyan strength to slam in and out faster than before. She was screaming at this point, sure that the neighboring rooms could hear them now if they hadn't already.

"Oh, fuck! Oh, Cabba!" She shouted, lost in passion.

The moment had arrived. She felt it coming on again, but this time she couldn't stop it. She climbed to that sweet release like she was winning a marathon and spiraled downwards like a torpedo. Cabba gasped, squeezing her with mighty force.

Caulifla snapped out of her memories and stared up at Cabba. She finally remembered every detail of their night of passion, but one thing still didn't make sense. She noticed that his neck was bleeding a little bit, like he'd cut himself shaving. She reached up and inspected the wound.

"What happened here?" She asked.

"I could ask you the same." He answered flatly.

She reached up and touched her neck. It was tender.

"Cabba…d-did we…"

"We did."

Her entire life, she'd imagined the moment she'd mate for life. Not every saiyan got the chance, and definitely not very may warrior class saiyans. Cabba would've found a nice, proper wife using his place amongst the royal guard, but Caulifla may never have gotten to experience that blessed bonding experience so many elder saiyans spoke of.

"This is…this isn't just a booty call then…" She gasped.

"A what? You thought this was a booty call?" He exclaimed.

"I mean, I don't know! We were drunk…could it just be a fluke?"

Cabba frowned, clearly offended.

"It wasn't a fluke. I waited for this day for five whole years…I can't control what you do, or how you feel, but I can tell you this…last night was real for me. Was it for you?"


	4. Chapter 4

In the heart of West City, Goten and Bra were now making their way to Mikio's hospital room to check up on him. Inside of the elevator, Goten watched Bra's tortured expression grow worse with each floor. He knew that she was upset about Mikio being left behind instead of facing the same torture that she had faced, but she wasn't angry with Goten for being left behind as well. It seemed deeply personal. He'd honestly never seen her look so perplexed and angry.

"So uh…did you hear that Cabba and Caulifla went back to Sadala in universe six? I guess Champa showed up and told them some shit was going down. It's why they didn't get taken, I'll bet. They weren't here!"

Goten was learning quickly that Bra was terribly hard to read in general. She acted like she didn't even hear him. He wondered if this was possibly because of her royal traits that Vegeta instilled within her, such as to never appear weak to anyone no matter what. Despite her prideful stance with her head held high, she was clutching her shiny, red purse tightly and beginning to bite her lip. Goten tried to hold her hand for a little comfort, but the elevator pinged and startled them both. The doors slid open, revealing the recovery floor and only a few medical personnel.

"Hey…you sure that you're up for this?" Goten asked, "We don't have to…"

"Are you kidding?" Bra growled.

She stomped off of the elevator and headed towards Mikio's hospital room with purpose. Goten followed, but noticed a few nurses shooting her worried glances. He supposed she looked a bit more determined than most visitors.

When they reached his room, she knocked and opened the door quickly. Mikio was in bed watching tv, but looked like he'd been sleeping for a little while. He smiled when he saw them both.

"You're alive!" He joked.

Goten frowned uncomfortably at the bold statement, but Bra chuckled unexpectedly.

"Mikio, Goten told me something about you that I really don't understand. I need you to be honest with me because…well, it just doesn't make any sense."

Mikio's pleasant expression fell a bit. He stared up at the ceiling and sighed loudly. In the deafening silence, Goten could heard every beep of every machine within a ten-foot radius like booming thunder. A bit overwhelmed, he leaned against the wall at the entrance, watching the nurses and doctors bustle about in the hallway.

A nurse was crying at the front desk. A doctor beside her looked just as miserable and patted her shoulder. It was a bit heart wrenching to think that he could have been one of them at this point. He could have been the doctor giving some horrible diagnoses or even a surgeon-in-training that just lost a patient. He tore himself away from the "what if" world and rejoined the present with a heavy heart.

"They only gave us ten minutes with you, Mikio. You don't have a whole lot of time to stare into space." Bra growled, crossing her arms.

Mikio's empty eyes still stared upwards, but his mouth began to open slowly.

"I am half human and half saiyan. I was born here in Japan, but my saiyan mother died in childbirth and my human father gave me up for adoption while he was still in anguish. He didn't think that he could raise me alone."

Bra clutched her stomach and frowned, but Goten wasn't convinced. In his mind there was no way that a saiyan woman could die from simple child birth. Regardless, he placed a comforting hand on Bra's waist and squeezed gently. He motioned for Mikio to continue and placed his chin easily on top of Bra's head.

"I learned of my saiyan heritage when I tracked down my father last year. I always had weird strength growing up…I even had a tendency to get very angry without any control over it, so I wanted to know if I was going to have some kind of mental problem when I got older. I found him pretty easily after I stole some records from the hospital that I was born at. I saw that he was a professor in Tokyo, so I packed my things and moved out there."

Bra stepped closer, eager for more details, but the nurse Goten saw crying earlier knocked on the door and poked her head in the room.

"E-Excuse me, I need to take our patient here down for some testing. Please say your good-byes. Sorry for the short time, but it's for his own good."

Goten moved closer to Mikio and leaned down to him.

"Why were you not taken there like Bra was? Why was I left behind? None of this makes any sense, Mik. I sure hope your dad didn't have anything to do with this…"

Mikio smiled, "I don't know, Goten. My father ended up not wanting nothing to do with me, so eventually I moved back to West City. Why would you think that he was involved anyway? He pretty much hates the saiyan race for abandoning my mother, so it's not like he'd want to kidnap you for anything."

Bra frowned, "That's not good enough…you know something…you're lying!"

"Excuse me!" The nurse demanded, now waving in a few more doctors.

Goten leaned down to Mikio and placed a hand on his arm. He squeezed slightly, enough to strike just a hint of fear into his eyes.

"Buddy…Bra was injected with some kind of poison three times when they captured her. If there's anything that you know, you need to tell me. For the sake of our child…"

Mikio's face contorted into a devilish smile, but quickly returned to normal. Two nurses pushed Goten away from the bedside.

"They injected her with something? What was it? Do you know?"

Goten slammed his fist on the table next to the hospital bed, breaking it in half and grabbed Mikio's shirt by the front. He shoved the nurses away with his other hand and thrusted Mikio out of bed, knocking down some of the monitor machines.

"Whatever you know…and I know you know something…now is the time to tell me or you won't like what comes next! What the fuck, man? You think I didn't see that creepy ass smile just now? Tell me what you know!"

Mikio closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Goten…we've been friends for several years. I'm sorry that I was never completely honest with you. I know you're a good guy from a great family, so I won't lie to you when I say that I'm not sure how her body will handle this pregnancy. The injections were meant for the baby, not her. My father created them. He made them in his lab at Tokyo University…"

Bra gasped and clutched her stomach protectively, instantly bursting into tears of fear and backing away to the door. Goten's eyes flashed blue and back to black as his ki began to rise into dangerous numbers.

"Mikio…is my baby going to live?" Goten snarled, shaking him angrily.

Mikio smirked, "I have no idea."

Bra rushed over and grabbed Mikio away from Goten, forcing Goten backwards and onto the floor. Her hair seemed to stand on end and her ki flew high as well, causing the floor to shake. The nurses ran to the door and began to scream for help.

Goten gasped. Bra's normal blue eyes had turned to electric green and her hair was flickering yellow, glowing like fire.

"What did you do to my baby?" She growled in a low, surly voice.

Mikio looked afraid now and tried to struggle.

She grabbed his neck and held tightly. "I will…kill you…"

He squirmed for freedom as her anger broke loose. Goten couldn't believe his eyes as her first transformation burst forward and pulsated through her body. She exploded into a glorious show of tremendous power.

"I will kill you!" She screamed again, shaking Mikio as he choked for life, but a flash of light entered the room. Goten heard the window break and when the light had cleared, Bra was gone.

Mikio laid half dead on the bed, gasping for air. The room was in shambles, most of the equipment broken into various pieces and sparking. The hospital personal shook with fear, all hiding behind objects.

"Are you okay?" Goten asked in a harsh tone, rushing to Mikio's side.

"Yeah…I'm…alive…" Mikio responded.

"Good. I will personally finish what she started if there is anything wrong with my baby, you piece of shit!"

Mikio smiled and gave Goten an unwarranted thumbs up, sending Goten's nerves up in flames. He rose and shot out the window to find his mate, who was undoubtedly very, very out of control at the moment.

He flew through the air, feeling for her ki. He could sense her a few miles away due east. He wondered what she was doing heading towards Mount Paozu, but followed her eagerly. The other ki that had grabbed her was without a doubt Trunks. Goten recognized the feeling as soon as Trunks set foot on the same hospital floor. He must have been around and felt Bra's ki going crazy.

When Goten finally located them, he landed a few feet from them and gazed upon the most beautiful scene he'd ever laid eyes on.

Bra was standing away from Trunks, glowing with a fiery inferno burning around her body. Her hair stood straight up and back in a vibrant golden color. Her eyes were no longer soft and warm but hard and fierce, filled with anger. Her muscles were exceptionally impressive and her stance proved that a wrong move would render the attacker dead in an instant.

Trunks was also super saiyan, but as Goten compared the two, Bra was clearly the stronger opponent. She continued to scream at Trunks, but he held his ground and clenched his fists angrily. Tears streamed down Bra's face, running her perfect makeup slightly and making her look even more demon-like.

"Bra! Calm down! What the hell is going on?" Trunks shouted at his sister.

Her electric green eyes rose to meet his behind a face that resembled the fury of her father's darkest times as an evil and possessed saiyan.

"I will kill him for what he's done!" She screamed and fell to her knees as though she was in pain.

Goten couldn't stand it any longer and ran to her. He fell to the ground in front of her.

"Bra…baby…it's okay! Please, please tell me what I can do!" Goten pleaded with her, but only received screams of agony in return.

She clutched her stomach and curled into a ball, sending her energy waves flashing through the field and churning up winds worthy of a cyclone. Strangely, the color of her aura flashed between the traditional, super saiyan gold to a strange pinkish-purple. Goten was getting worried.

"Goten, we gotta calm her down…she's too powerful for her own body!" Trunks said frantically, looking in all directions for signs of other people. He shielded his eyes as her pink bolts of electricity shocked him.

"Bra…listen to my voice…you've gotta calm down. This isn't healthy for the baby!"

Bra's screaming slowed. She looked up at two of most important men in her life and forced her eyes shut.

"I…I'm sorry!" She yelled.

Her power stopped surging and her super saiyan form dropped, causing her to return to normal. Her hair fell in blue showers around her pained and tortured expression and her eyes returned to their clear blue state. She continued to grasp her stomach in pain.

"We have to get her back to mom…the Capsule Corp doctors will be able to help!" Trunks said, scooping her into his arms.

Goten nodded, "I can't believe what just happened. That was no normal transformation…I've never seen her transform before…"

Trunks nodded and held his sister closely.

"It was her first transformation…" He said with a hint of pride.

Bra mumbled weakly and hid her tearful eyes into his shirt. Trunks and Goten kicked off into the air and hastily headed back to Bulma. Goten was desperate for information. He was tempted to go back and finish what Bra started right then and there, but her pain was more important at that moment. He had to be sure that she was okay.

When the trio arrived back at Capsule Corp, Trunks reluctantly sat in the living room curled up on the biggest of several leather sofas while the doctors checked on his sister. The television was on, but he wasn't paying any attention to the latest newscast.

As the news anchor's voice droned on, he felt sick to his stomach thinking about everything. He recalled his own first transformation in a simple training match with Goten and wished he'd done more to get Bra out there training with them, too. Even Gohan's first transformation wasn't _that_ traumatic. Bra would probably be scarred for life now.

A small buzz from inside his pocket broke his concentration. He reached down and pulled out the phone, carelessly flicking his finger across the screen to unlock it.

"Ugh!" Trunks groaned, deleting the email.

A work email about budgets was the least of his concerns at the moment. He rose his head up and looked around the dark room that was dimly lit by the glowing television mounted above the brick fireplace. The sunset was apparent as the great shadow of night began to cast over the huge, extravagant rooms surrounding him. He stared blankly at the yellow walls of his parents' home and began to long to return to his own apartment. The yellow felt ever so tacky to his luxurious tastes.

Sitting in the growing darkness, he could hear his sister's sad cry ring through the many hallways of the mansion. He assumed the doctor's must be testing her for something again. Soon after another cry rang out. Trunks shivered like he'd heard nails against a chalkboard and shifted uncomfortably on the slick leather. Equally bothered, Trunks' father appeared from the kitchen and approached the living room area. He plopped down on the sofa beside his son and shut his eyes, holding a bowl of cereal. He inhaled slowly before opening his eyes again and staring up at the ceiling.

"Honestly, you'd think that the strongest warrior race in the galaxy wouldn't scream every time a small, sharp object barely pierced their skin..." Vegeta scowled.

Trunks rolled his eyes, "Dad…she's going through a lot more than just the average shot. Besides, even _Goku_ is afraid of needles."

Vegeta's fists clamped shut, bending the spoon he was holding in half.

"I'll have you know that Bra is twice the warrior that Kakarot was as her age! I heard of her transformation from that boy...unbelievable power…"

Trunks laughed, "That boy? You mean _Goten?_ The 'boy' that basically grew up with me?"

"Yes, well I never thought that my daughter, the princess of all saiyans, would show such interest in the likes of Kakarot's stupid boy."

Trunks sighed loudly. He knew that Goten was anything but weak. After all, Goten achieved super saiyan 3 form when he saved them from the very brink of death recently. Vegeta had no room to criticize him.

Trunks' eyes shot down the hallway as he heard a door open and close quickly. He could sense that it was Goten. He got up from the large couch and stretched, realizing just how long he'd been sitting there on top of his legs. As his sleeping limbs began to wake, he noticed that the living room was completely dark. He stumbled about and flipped on the light switch.

"Ah, why would you do that without telling me first, boy?" Vegeta grumbled as he laid sideways, half asleep with the cereal bowl sitting on top of his stomach.

Trunks threw his arms up in surrender, but left the light on and headed towards a very distraught Goten.

"Hey…how is everything?" Trunks asked carefully, approaching Goten with plenty of warning.

"They keep sticking her with all kinds of needles. I can't take it! I feel like they're killing her all over again!"

"Hey, man…You know that she's safe here. These doctors are too stupid to try anything funny…" Trunks said softly, causing Goten's tearful eyes to meet his.

Looking up at him, Trunks never realized just how tall Goten was. He seemed so lanky lately, like he'd been training without eating. It was strange, considering the Son family was certainly known for their…healthy…eating habits.

Trunks leaned against the wall and continued, "So…how are you with the other thing?"

Goten looked annoyed at his friend's ambiguity.

"_Other_ thing? What other thing are you talking about exactly?"

Trunks sighed patiently, "You know…the baby? Have you been able to give it much thought?"

Goten looked offended.

Trunks instantly countered, "No, no I mean have you thought of…a name, maybe?"

Goten's expression softened, but he turned around to hide his face. He walked to the end of the hall and pressed his forehead against the large window.

"I do have a name in mind."

Trunks began to inquire, but Goten held up a hand.

"I haven't even asked Bra yet. I'm not telling you."

Trunks scoffed and crossed his arms, looking ever so much like Vegeta.

Goten laughed staring at the his reflection in the window.

"Dude…you look like your dad."

Trunks frowned.

Goten shrugged and said, "Oh hey, speaking of dads, my dad actually called me earlier. I didn't tell him what happened. I can imagine my mom would be up here in like five seconds to make sure Bra was okay."

Trunks snickered, "Women, man…"

Goten shrugged again, "Also Pan is coming over, by the way. She needs some help with something and said it was a project about Capsule Corp. I told her that you could explain it better than I could."

Trunks frowned, "Uh…isn't Gohan ten times smarter than like…all of us? Hell, even Videl is smarter than me."

Goten rolled his eyes, "Would you want to ask your dad a question about training that you thought he'd consider beneath him? It's the same kind of thing for school shit with Pan. Besides, she looks up to you, man. She's not really the intellectual type and it bugs Gohan like crazy."

Trunks nodded his head. He supposed that it made sense. Though Bulma was crazy intelligent, she never really forced school with Trunks nor Bra. Trunks tried his best to impress her, but she and Vegeta were always more concerned with other things.

Trunks continued to listen to Goten continue on about his family for some time. He felt a cool smile spread gradually across his face as he heard Goten delve into his feelings about Pan's education and upbringing. Maybe it wasn't so bad that his sister fell for Goten after all.

After a brief pause in the conversation, Goten blurted, "You know, I'm not saying I wouldn't like to help Pan, by the way. I just think you'd be better. We know how _my_ academics are…ha!"

Trunks rolled his eyes and frowned. Though Gohan was considered the smart one, Goten was even smarter than his brother in every single subject growing up. He never tried in school and literally never did his homework, but aced every single test that came in front of him. Trunks was never so lucky. Even to the present day, it continued to bother Trunks when Goten undercut his own intelligence.

Goten shrugged at Trunks' lack of interest and turned to reenter the room with Bra. He held the door open to Trunks, but he couldn't bring himself to enter. He stood there staring at her limp body, strapped to the bed tightly and clearly doped up from several different drugs. Her eyes rolled about the room and her face looked hollow and sad.

"Trunks…" she said weakly.

"Hey sis…how are you feeling?" Trunks reluctantly answered from the doorway.

She smiled stiffly, "I'm good. I feel better. I'm sorry about all of this."

"Don't be sorry. You're just as powerful as dad. It's not something to apologize for." Trunks replied proudly.

As he debated entering the room, the doorbell sounded throughout the house. Trunks sighed in relief and quickly went to answer. His moral dilemma of sibling comfort was on hold for now.

Another ring sent Trunks jogging. He glanced over at Vegeta, who laid wound like a pretzel snoring on the couch. The cereal was on the floor now. He practically ripped the door off the hinges when loud bangs to the door threatened to wake Vegeta's slumber.

"Pan, I'm here!...oh." Trunks opened the door and was surprised by the blonde barbie-doll standing under the porch light. "Marron…"

He stared at her beautiful face and felt his own face heat up like a fire helplessly.

"I wasn't expecting you…Pan is coming to get some homework help."

She raised a hand, signaling for him to stop talking. Her face was serious and gloomy, not uncommon for her these days, but it seemed like she had a message to deliver. She shifted her hips in her flowing, pink sundress with grey tights and crossed her arms tightly across her chest. Trunks didn't quite get the message and kept talking.

"Would you like to come inside? It's getting chilly out here…"

Marron shook her head, "I just wanted to tell you…I'm moving to America with my mom. Yamcha has family there…we just…we gotta get out of here."

Trunks stood silently for a moment, mouth hanging open and eyes wide with bewilderment.

"I-I thought you were looking for a place in the city?" Trunks asked, still in shock.

"I was. But when my mom offered me the chance to come with her and Yamcha…I just…"

Trunks stopped her and shook his hands.

"Yamcha? Is your mom with him now?"

Marron looked down at her feet and clearly felt uncomfortable. Her boots kicked around at the ground below her and she faced away from him.

"Yeah…I think that they are. Whatever, she deserves to be happy…my dad dying nearly killed her."

Trunks blinked a few times in disbelief while she continued.

"Anyways, this is good-bye for now. Give my regards to Goten and Bra…I…I wish them the best."

Trunks stuttered as she instantly turned to leave.

"Wait!" He called as he ran out onto the porch and grabbed her wrist, twirling her around into his arms. "I didn't think…you'd leave…I mean…you and me…it's special right?"

Marron smiled. She reached up and kissed his cheek tenderly.

"I'm sorry, Trunks. We grew up together…you're a great guy…but I need to get over Goten and move on with my life. You're just too close to this. It's like a huge spiderweb that I can't escape…I have to go. We will visit eventually. I really wish…there was another way…"

She pushed away from him and turned, kicking off into the sky and heading towards Kame house. Trunks watched her fly away and felt the pit of his stomach ache.

"But…you hate flying…" he whispered to himself sadly.

When he turned to re-enter his house, Pan stood watching him near the open doorway. He jumped and fell backwards at the sight of her. She'd surely overheard his entire conversation with Marron by the judgey expression she wore on her face.

After a few moments of awkward silence and Trunks sitting dumbfounded in the grass, she murmured, "Uh…I'm sorry…should I leave?"

Trunks sighed and ran his hands through his silky, purple hair.

"Nah…it's okay." He sniffled slightly and rose up to his feet, "Let's see this project that you need my expert opinion on."

Pan smiled, a beet-red blush creeping across her pale, white cheeks. She held out her papers and looked up at the sky.

"It's cold…can I come in?"

Trunks laughed, "Yeah, sure. You don't have to ask. Just be quiet. Dad's sleeping on the couch in the living room."

Pan smiled nervously and headed inside. She looked around, but the lights had been turned off and she was hesitant to move forward.

"Oh…my dad must have turned the lights off again." Trunks hissed annoyed, but when he flipped the switch, the lights didn't come back on.

Pan moved closer to Trunks and latched onto his shirt, "It's really dark in here…"

Trunks shrugged in the darkness, "It must be mom…sometimes the power goes out when she's working on a machine."

Vegeta grumbled, "You're talking and I'm trying to _sleep_, boy!"

Trunks huffed angrily, "C'mon, Pan…her lab in the basement has power. We'll just work down there."

Pan squeaked in agreement, but continued to hold onto his shirt as they walked blindly to the basement door under the staircase.

Trunks turned the doorknob and opened the door, "Well…this light is out, too. Just be careful. I see her lights on down there."

The soft, purple glow of the Capsule Corp laboratory was just barely visible at the foot of the spiral staircase that twisted into the mysterious basement that Pan had never heard of. As they descended down into the depths of the mansion, the darkness seemed to envelop them. The steps were narrow and easy to miss, so Trunks continued slowly as Pan held onto his shirt.

"You know, this shirt was expensive. You're probably stretching it out…" Trunks said, teasing Pan in his usual, arrogant way.

Pan let go instantly.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't realize that I was!"

In her panic, she tripped and began to fall forward down the stairs. Trunks grabbed her in an instant and threw her up over his shoulder.

"You klutz! I'll carry you like this so you can't hurt yourself or my shirt, ok?"

Pan felt humiliated and surrendered with a sad sigh, secretly loving the attention.

Finally they reached the bottom of the stairs. Pan felt Trunks step down onto the flat floor. He set her down gently and stared at the closed door with purple light glowing all around it in front of them.

"I have to knock. I don't want her to blow something up if we startle her."

Pan nodded nervously, looking at the large, wooden door. Trunks reached forward and knocked quietly.

"Mom?" Trunks asked in a cool voice.

He straightened his brand name, button-down shirt and placed his hands into his slick, black pants. His muscular face glowed handsomely in the light. Pan blushed again and looked down at the floor before he could notice.

"Trunks?" A muffled voice called from behind the door. "Come in!"

Bulma sounded chipper and excited for some company. Trunks opened the door and the purple glow overwhelmed them both.

"Sorry, I'm almost done with this!" Bulma said calmly as she continued to use a large gun-shaped tool on a metal door in a corner of the large room.

She wore a large, metal mask with a small, clear slit for her eyes and thick, tan gloves to protect her hands. Her white lab coat was closed and her boots looked charred from previous experiments.

As the purple sparks continued to fly, Trunks walked to a nearby lab station and flicked on a large overhead light. Pan followed him slowly. She couldn't help staring at all of the fancy gadgets and half-done experiments. Robots were all around, staring down at the various lab stations with no life in their eyes. She looked at one particular robot with missing arms that had a very strange face. Bulma looked up from her work and pulled back her mask, resting it on top of her head.

"You like that one, Pan? He's part of my elemental testing project, but I ran out of his material before I could make his arms. I've gotta get on that one…"

Bulma took off her gloves and casually approached Trunks and Pan with a warm smile.

"So what exactly brings you two down here to my bat cave?"

Trunks rolled his eyes at his eccentric mother, "I'm helping Pan with some report on Capsule Corp. You knocked out the power upstairs again."

Bulma sighed, "Oh, well…the generators will kick on soon, then. I am so close to having this new chamber done for your father! It's truly my masterpiece…well, one of them at least."

Trunks ignored her and began looking over the papers that Pan had laid out in front of him. Curious, Pan wandered over to the metal doors of Bulma's latest masterpiece and reached out to touch the smooth material.

"What is this?" Pan marveled.

Bulma smiled, clearly excited that someone in their house was actually interested in one of her projects.

"It's a replica of the hyperbolic time chamber!"

Pan cocked her head to the side cluelessly.

"You can go inside and train for a day in our world, but an entire year passes inside the chamber. Up until now there have been certain restrictions…"

"What kind of restrictions?" Pan asked with wide eyes.

Trunks looked up from the papers and sighed loudly.

"Like there being only enough food for two people…like the temperature getting cold as hell the further out you go…uh…geez, it's been a while…"

"_You_ went in there?" Pan squealed.

"Uh, yeah. With your uncle Goten. Your dad has been in there before…your grandpa Goku…well, I guess a lot of us. It's intense, though. We used it for Cell…Buu…you know, the big threats we've had to deal with."

"Now it's self-sustaining! It can even split dimensions!" Bulma chirped.

Pan frowned, "Why on Earth would we need to split a dimension?"

Bulma smiled, "Let's say Vegeta wants to train inside. If he were to go into the old one, no one could open it until he left. Now, Goku can use it at the same time without ever crossing paths with Vegeta!"

Pan crossed her arms, "Hmm…seems like a really fast way to get old…"

Bulma chuckled and walked back over to her desk. She pressed a small, square button and a computer monitor appeared, suspended in the air. She pressed some keys in midair and sat down in a rolly chair.

"Well, that was part of the problem, too. Vegeta has aged far beyond Goku now simply because he's used the actual chamber more. Our goal is to reverse that…"

"Like…make him younger?" Pan gasped.

"Precisely!"

"Would it work the other way around? Like…aging normally?"

"I've modified it to specify the years you want to live inside. It's incredible science. Basically, a person can choose to spend five years inside the chamber, making it a week outside in our dimension. If Vegeta wanted to do that, though…well he'd be adding years to his age for no reason. So you can set the ratio here…"

Bulma began pointing to a few knobs and gadgets, but Trunks cleared his throat loudly.

"Mom, I need to help her with this project! It says here that it's due… tomorrow…_Pan!"_

Pan laughed, "Oh, yeah…well what with being captured and all I kinda got a little side tracked."

Trunks relaxed and felt guilty for scolding her. They had only just been released from the grasps of the saiyan madman. Pan turned back to Bulma before joining Trunks and said happily.

"This is really cool…I wanna hear more about it sometime!"

Bulma smiled, "I promise I'll tell you all about it!"

Finally, Bulma headed towards the exit, leaving the two to get to work. Trunks already had his black, thick-rimmed glasses on by the time Bulma reached the door. He read over the cover page carefully.

"Pan…how old are you again?" Trunks asked.

She frowned, "Fifteen, duh!"

"How are you possibly eight years younger than me? I'm old…"

"Not that old. I wish I was…24." Pan answered.

"Why 24?"

"Well…then I'd be as old as you!" She blushed and realized he might figure out her secret, "I mean, then I could really kick your ass in a match!"

Trunks laughed and went back to reading. He motioned for Pan to take a seat beside him. She prepared herself for a long night of work. Trunks wasn't one to let any detail slide, this she knew.


	5. Chapter 5

Small beeping sounds buzzed and hissed through the silence. A faucet was dripping somewhere off in the distance. Trunks felt cold, like he had been sleeping under the icy wind of a cold AC unit all night. He struggled between reality and his dream world for several minutes, pulling his arms into his shirt for warmth.

Though his stomach was very warm and comforting to wrap his arms around within the polo shirt that he wore, his face continued to feel freezing cold. He wondered how he could have possibly fallen asleep on such a cold surface. He shifted his face a bit, but cold drool rolled down his cheek and caused him to slurp out a loud snore, waking him into the darkness that was the room surrounding him.

He sat up painfully, stretching his back and lifting his arms high above his head. He watched the various blue and red lights around him blinking as they flickered on and off. He rubbed his eyes harshly, trying to rub away the sleepiness that completely consumed his consciousness.

A yawn overtook him, swallowing his face into a long inhale. As he rolled his chair backwards to reach for the light above his desk, a blinding, white light lit up the surrounding area from his phone. He reached for it innocently at first, but quickly realized that this was not the first time he'd turned it off.

His face fell and his heart began to pound as he watched his hand reaching for the phone in slow motion. A cold sweat crept down his spine, causing his stomach muscles to clench and his eyes to strain.

"Please…please don't be late…"

He grasped the phone in his fingertips and gulped. The phone beckoned him to silence the vibrating alarm, but he resisted looking at the clock. He hit the side button and silenced the alarm without looking, but another alarm soon followed before his heart rate could slow.

"_Ok Trunks, just look at the time. It'll be okay. You're fine._"

His eyes traveled down to the screen. His heart stopped. The clock read 7:20AM.

"Shit!" Trunks exclaimed.

He shot up from the rolly chair, sending it backwards into the darkness.

"Mmm?"

He heard not too far away from him. He jumped at the sound at first, thinking it was a ghost in the darkness. Trunks had always hated the basement.

When the realization of what was happening hit him, he whispered, "Pan?"

He heard shuffling about and grumbling.

"What's wrong? Why is it so dark?" She mumbled sleepily.

He could hear her rubbing her eyes and shifting about in the large, plush armchair that had been sitting empty and unused against the wall for as long as he could remember. Trunks reached up and switched on the desk light above their heads and lit up the area with a blinding light.

"Ah!" Pan growled, "Why didn't you warn me?"

Trunks checked his phone again, "I've gotta go. Grab your stuff!"

Trunks threw her papers at her. She scrambled to catch them all and rolled them up into a long tube.

"Gee, thanks!"

Trunks smiled and grabbed her around the waist.

"Trunks? What the hell are you doing?" Pan hollered as Trunks shot up the staircase at top speed.

"I'm late for a meeting. I'll drop you off on the way, you're late, too."

Pan kicked and thrashed in protest but Trunks had a grip that was impossible to break.

The surface air, free of electrical smells and beeps, broke in a refreshing blow as Trunks flung open the door and blasted down the quiet hallway. Goten stood in the kitchen in a business suit, eating a bagel.

"Hey! I was beginning to think you forgot that today was my first day…are we supposed to be there already? Does my suit look okay?...Are you okay?"

His voice became increasingly more worried as he watched Trunks dance anxiously in place, swinging Pan around.

"Trunks, put me down!" Pan cried as she swung helplessly.

"_Never!_" Trunks declared playfully.

Goten laughed, "Well then, let's go!"

They kicked off of the front porch and into the fresh, morning sky. The air was chilly, but not unusually so for November. Pan continued to protest her captor, but Trunks kept holding on tight. He wasn't sure why, as Pan was perfectly capable of flying herself, but he felt like it was his responsibility to get her to school since he woke up so late.

Not far from Bulma's house, Pan's school began to appear on the horizon.

"Okay, Pan…bombs away!" Goten yelled, pinching Trunks on the arm and causing him to instantly drop her.

"Damn you, uncle Goten!" Pan yelled as she fell several feet before catching herself and landing near the school.

Trunks punched Goten in the arm, but laughed and continued ahead. Trunks thought it was strange that he was so chipper, but he supposed that was because Trunks offered him a way to pay for all of the responsibilities that were coming up. He wasn't sure if Goten told Bra that he'd be working for Capsule Corp, but he was glad that she was unable to work due to her health. It would be weird if she were to work with them, too.

"Hey…so there's this meeting today…."

Goten smiled innocently, "Do you need me to take notes?"

Trunks frowned awkwardly, "Well, it's more like…just sit there and look smart. I don't have anything for you to do today but follow me around and learn the layout. I didn't tell anyone that I was hiring you, so they're gonna be like, who's _that_ guy?"

Goten looked extremely pleased, "Sweet! I can do that! Sit around and look smart…alright!"

Trunks smiled at his childhood friend. How long it seemed since the last time Goten was content and joking around. Even seeing him laugh brought back a flood of happy memories. Still, he was hiding his biggest secret from him now. It seemed to make every happy moment the friends had together just one big lie.

When they were boys, Trunks could tell Goten anything. He was the one person that seemed to understand without all of the extra words. Trunks had a hard time expressing his feelings in a direct way, especially when it came to girls, but that never mattered. Goten learned his weird communicative language and simply let him talk out his problems through training or even camping. Goten always loved outdoor activities. Whenever the city life felt like too much, he could count on Goten to bring him back to Earth with some crazy adventure in the countryside.

When they became teenagers, Goten began getting girlfriend after girlfriend, leaving Trunks to figure out most things on his own without the communication he'd relied on for so many years. His mother wanted him to have perfect grades but she didn't have the time to enforce it. His father couldn't have cared less and constantly criticized his lack of training. When his sister hit thirteen…it was all too much for them to keep track of and he began "the good child". Still, Goten constantly outshined him.

College wasn't much different aside from Goten being glued to Marron's side instead of some random girl. They joined the same fraternity a year apart, but the future CEO of Capsule Corp was hell-bent on getting perfect grades before partying. While Goten seamlessly aced every exam and every project without issue, Trunks stayed up all night studying and still struggled to get grades like Goten. Trunks always found it strange that even though his mother was the smartest woman in the world, he seemed to inherit his father's brain.

There were a few girls in Trunks' life, but never anything serious. Every girl he liked always turned out to simply want a piece of the Brief fortune. It was well known who he was and how much money he had by the gadgets he carried around and the car he drove. Goten always rode a modest, normal bike, attracting the environmentalists and the health nut girls. Marron would prance around at his side and brag that out of all of the girls after him, she was the one he picked.

However, the happy memories ended when Goten proposed to Marron. From then on, he was always moody and aggravated. They fought more often than they conversed, but Goten often bragged of their makeup rituals and seemed to genuinely believe that it meant she forgave him every time. Trunks remembered the nights he sat awkwardly at an event as the third wheel to Goten and Marron, praying for someone foreign who wouldn't recognize him to walk in that he could talk to.

_That_ never happened.

Trunks frowned when he came upon a particularly rough memory of Marron and Goten's biggest fight and closed his eyes. He tried not to let Goten see his face, but his brain was moving too fast for his body to react.

He recalled the night Marron called him sobbing. She'd gotten into it with Goten about something petty, but instead of trying to work it out, Goten went out and got drunk. He continued his spiral and called her back, cussing and acting like a fool in public. Marron was humiliated and ready to end it right then and there.

Knowing the person that she was, Trunks felt leaving her to her own devices could end badly. He rushed out to meet her downtown. She was sitting alone on a park bench, crying and drinking out of a paper bag with whiskey hidden inside. He'd never seen her so sad.

"Marron?" Trunks asked, jogging towards her.

"Yeah? Whatcha want?" She answered drunkenly.

"Here…let me take you to my place. You can crash on my couch. You're gonna get arrested out here in a freakin' park..."

Trunks extended his hand for her to take. Scooping her up, he flew her back to his condo. By the time he laid her safely on his couch, she'd finished off the bottle of whiskey and had more little bottles in her purse to drink. She became hellbent on pouring all of her frustrations out to him in a slur of drunken words. She told him of her suspicions of Goten cheating, her utter disappointment over his career change, and how she was almost certain that he no longer loved her. Trunks listened for hours without saying a word until the sun began to come up.

"Trunks?" Marron asked quietly.

"Yeah, Mare?" Trunks answered sleepily with a yawn.

"You are…such an amazing guy. Thanks for listening to me rant all night…"

Marron hiccupped and let her head fall back on the couch. Trunks got up and adjusted her head on the pillow.

"Anytime…" he whispered.

He stood over her, watching her fall in and out of sleep. She reached up for a hug, something not unheard of for her, but when he tried to hug her something more happened.

She lunged up and kissed him, madly and passionately. He tried to stop her, but one thing led to another.

Later that morning, Trunks laid beside her on the floor. He stared up at the ceiling wondering if he'd really done something wrong or if he'd saved her from her horrible relationship.

Once Marron slept for a few hours, Trunks felt afraid to ask her if she remembered much about their night together. She never brought it up again and of course he never told Goten. A week later, their engagement was called off and Goten wasn't talking to anyone.

Trunks shook his head. He hadn't thought of that night for a whole year, but losing Marron to her spontaneous move must've triggered it. He pictured their night before Krillin died and felt overwhelming sadness. He'd screwed it up so badly between them that she'd probably never get that close again.

Goten startled him by banging into his shoulder in midair, "Stop daydreaming! We're here!"

Goten dropped down and landed harshly, bounding up and straightening his jacket.

"You're stupid." Trunks said with a laugh as he, too, straightened his jacket.

The Capsule Corp building was a huge skyscraper in the center of West City. It rivaled the designs of the Empire State Building but contained the most advanced technology known to man. The large, black structure reflected the sunlight off of its many windows and disappeared into the clouds. Trunks watched Goten as he observed the area, smiling like a goof. He cleared his throat and motioned for Trunks to lead the way, so Trunks decided it was time to test his investment in hiring his friend.

"So you have your own office, right? Will I get an assistant desk?" Goten asked eagerly.

Trunks rolled his eyes, "Yes. You'll have your own office next to mine, no worries. Whatever you want. I don't share my office, bro."

Goten smiled and seemed to hold his breath as they entered the large, glass doors and stepped into the grand lobby of the building. The ceiling was sky high and painted like an ancient cathedral. There were angels, cherubs, all sorts of mythical creatures and biblical symbols.

"What's with the ceiling?" Goten asked as he marveled and twirled around slightly trying to take it all in.

"It was my mom's idea. She wanted it to feel majestic…that was the first step in her mind." Trunks answered matter of factly as he signed in on a computer at the reception desk.

The woman behind the counter handed him a badge and held up another for Goten.

"Have a fantastic day " the woman chimed, giggling at Goten's reaction to his surroundings.

As they walked away, Goten punched Trunks' arm playfully and showed off his new badge.

"I feel so important!"

Trunks laughed, "Too bad your badge says trainee."

Goten looked down and frowned, "Damn. Oh, well."

Goten held his head high and continued to strut down the hallways, smiling at everyone. Trunks forgot how people act as newbies in the industry. He grew up in these halls. He knew everyone before he was even old enough to work. Definitely not people he wanted to spend his days smiling at, for the most part.

They approached a large conference room and Trunks stopped. He turned to Goten and took a deep breath.

"Here we go…remember, don't talk. Just look important." He whispered.

They pushed open the wooden door and Trunks felt the eyes of every person within the meeting burning into him as he walked solemnly to his seat. He wasn't usually so late to these sorts of things, but it wasn't unheard of. He was the "young, whipper-snapper" after all.

The older clients and workers were quite disappointed when Bulma stepped down as CEO and passed the title to her young and inexperienced son. Trunks knew that fact. His face continued to turn beet red and heat up until he felt sweat dripping down his face and needed to loosen his tie a bit. He hated addressing a roomful of people.

"I'm…sorry that I'm late. We can begin this meeting now."

One of the older gentleman in the room pointed at Goten, "Who is _this_?"

Trunks gulped, "This is…Goten Son."

Goten waved. His face was confident and completely lacked any nervous tendencies. He may not admit it, but Goku passed the best of his notable traits on to Goten for sure. No one could tell if he actually was important or just another nobody.

After an hour or so, the meeting adjourned and everyone but Trunks and Goten left the room. Trunks sat with his head in his hands and couldn't speak. Goten placed a hand on Trunks' back.

"It'll be okay, man. You won't be gone long."

Trunks sighed and sat back in the chair.

"But I've never been to America…I don't know what the fuck to do out there!"

Goten smiled, "Look at it as a great opportunity! Besides, it's only four days. You'll be home on time for Thanksgiving!"

Trunks smiled, "Yes. To celebrate an American holiday with my Japanese friends and family. Well, technically my mom was born in the states…California, I think…maybe it's not so weird that we celebrate it...Man, I don't know…"

Goten shrugged, "Any holiday with lots of food is sure to attract saiyans."

Trunks smiled and sighed, looking out the window hopelessly. The last place he wanted to go was to the place Marron ran off to hide from life and get away from him.

When Trunks and Goten returned home from work later that evening, Pan was at the house again. Trunks could see her sitting at the kitchen table with Bra through the front window. Bra was never particularly close to Pan, but now that Goten was the father of Pan's soon-to-be niece or nephew, Pan seemed intent on making an effort.

Trunks entered the kitchen and greeted the two who responded with distracted grunts while staring at a laptop screen. He sat at the large, oak table and began to play with his phone. In his peripheral vision, he noticed that Pan was frequently looking up at him. Each time he tried to meet her gaze she would quickly return to Bra's computer screen and blush.

He smirked. He couldn't believe that she was fifteen already. She was no longer the little girl that bounced around in a bandana with her grandfather's signature gi on. She had become a beautiful young woman who resembled her grandmother Chichi very closely. Trunks thought about their younger years and growing up with little Pan trailing around after them. She always looked up to Trunks and Goten so much, even if they never wanted her around when they were teenagers. He sometimes wished that she were just a little older so that she could do more training with them, but that was his own private thought. He never intended to share with anyone how much he enjoyed having Pan around.

Behind Trunks, Goten wandered back to his bedroom to change into sweatpants and a hoodie before joining the others. He strolled into the kitchen yawning and stretching, greeting Bra with a kiss on the head. He leaned over the back of her chair and placed his arms around her.

"Are you feeling better today?" Goten asked sweetly.

"Much better…have you _seen_ this baby site? There's so much to buy!" Bra squealed, distracted by Pan's scrolling.

He propped his chin on her head and stared at the screen with wide eyes. Trunks almost laughed out loud. He knew that Goten must be looking at the price tags. It would only be a matter of time before he learned truly how much money Bra spent on a daily basis. She really had no regard for money since Vegeta entrusted her with a personal credit card against Bulma's wishes. Their father adored Bra and gave her whatever she desired, partially creating the greedy little monster she was presently.

"Goten…do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Bra asked, breaking the silence.

Goten squinted as though thinking critically, "Well…I think it's a boy."

Pan frowned, "Why can't it be girl?"

Goten flicked her shoulder, "I didn't say it couldn't be…it's just the Son family is better known for having boys. You were a luck of the draw."

Pan crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue at her goofy uncle. Goten and Pan grew up more like brother and sister since he was only seven when Pan was born. With Gohan playing father and often losing every battle to an angry, teenaged Goten, Pan's leash was tight and short. She often blamed Goten for her lack of freedom.

Bra continued to stare ahead, ignoring the bickering, until she chimed in wistfully.

"I think it's a girl."

Goten returned to his post on her head, "Why is that, hun?"

Bra smiled, "I just have a feeling."

Goten nuzzled into her shiny, blue hair, "Whatever you say. I'm happy either way."

Pan smiled and relaxed, but glanced at Trunks again longingly. He caught her eye for a split second before she got up and excused herself from the room. He wondered what was going on with her.

A knock at the front door startled them all. Trunks hopped up to get it, tripping over the chair and nearly falling. Straightening his shirt, he rose up and shrugged at his lack of balance. Bra and Goten laughed while Trunks answered the door with a smile on his face.

"The _fuck_…" Trunks growled.

Goten got up and told Bra to stay put. He hurried out into the hallway and froze.

"Wait, before you freak out…" A voice said calmly.

"Freak out? Freak out? Are you _kidding?" _Goten shouted, "Get the fuck out of here!"

"I wanted to apologize about the other day…I-I wasn't myself…I hope that you can forgive me…"

Just as Bra began to recognize the voice, Goten flew forward and out of sight. She jumped from her chair and ran out into the hallway only to find Goten holding Mikio by the collar of his shirt against the doorframe. He was shaking him furiously and shouting a number of profanities.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Bra snarled from the doorway.

"Bra! Bra, please…I've gotta talk to you…" Mikio said through gritted teeth.

"Why in the hell would I go anywhere near you?" She answered quickly.

"Because…I can help you…"

"How?"

Bra narrowed her eyes. Trunks seemed apprehensive and approached his sister cautiously. Something didn't feel right.

"It's my fault that this happened to you…it's my fault. I should've…I should've given him the other saiyan woman…I'm sorry…"

The three half-saiyans' eyes grew large. Bra held her breath. Goten's grip tightened.

"You mean Caulifla?" Goten growled in a low, dangerous voice.

"Y-Yeah…she's…she's pregnant, too but I just thought…I thought Bra might have a more powerful kid, so…"

Goten's fist flew into Mikio's face, sending him shooting into the front yard faster than a speeding bullet.

"What's going on?" Pan shouted from behind Trunks.

Trunks turned around to face her, but missed his sister when she shot by him and out onto the front lawn beside Goten. He panicked, but Pan held him back. She looked excited by the commotion.

Outside, Bra stamped her foot onto Mikio's chest and pressed down as hard as she could.

"I need answers, you fucking dirtbag."

Her face was stone cold and completely lacked any emotion besides anger.

"Bra, be careful." Goten said softly, "You don't want to kill him before he tells us what the fuck he's talking about."

Trunks pulled his arm away from Pan and ran out into the yard frantically.

"Bra…you can't lose control again! Dad is out in the capsule training…I can get him!"

"Shut up!"

Bra sent a blast of ki straight for her brother. Trunks caught it and deflected it straight upwards, but his hands singed from the heat. Shocked, Pan ran to his side and reached out for his blackened hands.

"I'm fine, Pan! I just don't know what to do right now." He snapped, pulling away from her again.

Not surprisingly, Vegeta came running down the hallway and towards the front door. He looked worried and froze when he saw none other than his daughter standing with such power over a man he'd never seen before. He smirked.

"What's going on here?" He asked through an evil grin.

"That's the man that hurt Bra's baby." Pan said sadly.

"What?" Vegeta shouted.

"They've got this, dad. Just wait!" Trunks demanded.

Bra ignored the commotion and moved her foot up to Mikio's throat.

"Tell me everything you know about my baby right now or you _will_ pay the price for what you've done." Bra growled in a deep and furious tone, "Furthermore, how the fuck do you know about Caulifla?"

Mikio stared up at her helplessly and looked like he was tearing up. Goten lost his patience. He reached down and snatched Mikio up from Bra's hold and threw him against a tree.

"You have thirty seconds to answer her or I'll let her do whatever she wants. No stopping her this time, bastard!"

Mikio peered over and saw Vegeta standing beside Trunks and Pan. He panicked and shook his head.

"Okay…Okay I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Please, just don't kill me. I'll tell you everything."

Bra's raging eyes glowed bright pink, but relaxed into a cool blue before long. Goten took notice and tried to get a better look, but before he could she was back to normal. Strange, he thought.

"Fine, but I don't have time for games. What is wrong with my baby?" Bra took a step forward, generating energy in her palms.

"Your baby will live. There is no possible way that she could die. Not now that you've carried her this long...not now that you've transformed."

"What does Bra turning super saiyan have to do with this? And how do _you_ know that it's a girl?" Goten asked, stunned by the new information.

Mikio sighed loudly, "If it were a boy, the experiment would have gone very differently. The fact that the baby is alive and growing without turning you into a raging psychopath means that the gene turned the embryo into a female. Initial experiments showed that male specimens were highly unpredictable and violent…the unpredictable behavior killed their hosts within days."

"Specimens?" Goten asked, losing patience.

Bra lowered her hand and reduced her energy blast to almost nothing with a look of disgust on her face.

"Of course there were preliminary trials before the big move. Human women of course…maybe that had something to do with it, I don't know. It's why we decided against Caulifla as a host. Her baby is a boy. We're not sure even she knows that she's pregnant yet…"

Bra's eyes filled with tears as she stared at Mikio in disbelief. She thought of the poor, defenseless women who were made to carry the spawn of a madman. Suddenly she felt very grateful to be alive, but terrified to know anything further.

"What will my baby become…?"

Mikio shook his head and smiled.

"She is the future of our race."

Vegeta stepped forward. He pointed at Mikio and lowered his gaze.

"You there…keep talking."

Mikio smirked.

"My king, you know that I am a saiyan, too. I want everything for our race that you do. I recognize you, King Vegeta, as our rightful ruler and you, Bra, as our princess. I wouldn't lie to you again…I have decided to cast aside my father's regime. After I learned of his death, at your hands, I was so angry and hurt…but I was unfair and cruel to you both at the hospital…I'm sorry for that. I only wish to continue our friendship and grow the saiyan race that we have left. I see now just how wrong he was about everything. The world is a better place without his crazy ass."

Trunks looked down at Pan in disbelief. He had a very hard time believing anything that Mikio said, but this statement did seem genuine.

Pan peered up at him and whispered, "Trunks…I'm scared."

"Why? It's okay…we've got more than enough power to get rid of him if we need to…"

Pan looked down at her feet. She thought for a moment and looked as though it was painful to continue.

"That girl out there isn't the Bra that I know. Did you see her eyes?"

"She's a mother now, Pan. Things are going to be different. You'll understand one day."

Pan looked injured by his words and crossed her arms. Nothing bothered Pan more than being called a child.

In the midst of all of the tension, Mikio headed off, leaving Vegeta standing in the front yard alone with his daughter and Goten. Almost instantly, Goten began to tear up and sniffle.

"What the hell are you blubbering about?" Vegeta growled.

"It's a girl, man…" Goten smiled.

"It would appear so, yes." Vegeta said matter-of-factly, "But we can't be sure until…"

Goten turned around and hugged his future father-in-law as tight as he could while tears of happiness streamed down his cheeks.

"Get off of me!" Vegeta shouted.

Trunks and Pan both began to laugh, but Pan stopped rather quickly. Trunks looked down at her inquisitively.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Pan sighed, "I don't know…I've got a bad feeling about this. I just wish that I could fight like you guys…maybe I could help protect the baby if something bad happens. Something isn't right…"

Trunks smiled and patted Pan on the head.

"You are perfect the way you are. I'm sure you'll be a super saiyan soon…until then it's _our_ job to protect _you_."

Pan blushed and took a step closer to Trunks timidly.

"Oh, Trunks…I know you think that I'm just a dumb teenager that doesn't know anything about anything…but…I'm not sure I'll ever have this chance again…"

Before he could respond, Pan grabbed his sleeve and pulled him down to her level. She pecked him on the cheek and backed away quickly.

"Pan…" Trunks gasped.

"It's okay, Trunks. It won't happen again…not until I'm older. I promise."

She winked at his dumbfounded face and took off into the sky towards East District. As he watched her leave, his face turned completely red. His level of embarrassment couldn't possibly be higher.

With a racing heart, Trunks leaned against the wall and exhaled. He couldn't comprehend all of the feelings that he was experiencing. The first thought that came to his mind was Marron. He hadn't heard from her since she said her farewell, though it had only been a day, but he wished she'd at least sent a text when she arrived in America. He worried that she might not be okay, but her exit was so hurtful to him that he couldn't bring himself to text her and ask if she was in fact doing fine. After all, she did say that she didn't feel the same way about him.

In a frenzy of emotions, he realized in that moment exactly what he had to do. He had to tell her how he felt and get her back to Japan. He had to prove to her that she belonged with him and stop playing senseless games. If he'd only been honest with her sooner, perhaps she wouldn't have left in the first place.

"Trunks!" Goten squealed from right in front of Trunks' face.

"What?"

"I'm gonna be a daddy to a little _girl!"_

"Yeah, I heard…" Trunks answered with a forced smile.

Goten practically skipped past him into the house, followed by Vegeta looking completely humiliated. Bra stood silently on the first step of the porch and stared into space.

"You okay, kid?" Trunks asked.

She leaned her head against the wall to her left and placed a hand on her belly.

"Lace." She said in a whisper.

Goten peeked around the corner from the kitchen.

"What? C'mere and look at this stuff with me, Bra! Now we can look at girl stuff!"

"Lace." Bra said again, still staring ahead as though looking straight through Trunks.

"What lace?" Trunks looked around at the floor. "I don't see any…"

Bra shook her head.

"Her name will be Lace."

"Uh, okay…kind weird, don't you think?" Trunks laughed.

Her eyes turned pink again, but changed back to blue in an instant.

"Okay, okay, I like it…but what's wrong with your eyes?" Trunks asked, "They keep turning…"

Bra held up a hand.

"Shut _up!_"

"Don't talk to me like that. I'm just asking because I care. You have been acting…well, like a different person these past few days! I don't know what to do with you anymore, sis!"

"You are unbelievable." Bra exclaimed dramatically, storming past him into the house.

"Well now you did it, genius…" Goten sighed as he scrolled through a plethora of pink websites.

Trunks groaned and wandered into the kitchen. He sat down beside Goten and stared at the screen.

"Hey where'd Pan go?" Goten asked.

"Uh…not sure. Guess she just went home…"

Goten shrugged. Clearly things had once again gotten weird in the Brief household, but Trunks decided to stay focused on the task at hand: Operation get Marron back.


	6. Chapter 6

Pan's jet black hair swayed in the wind. She was sitting on the bricks that lined the outside of Capsule Corp's gates and thinking about what more she could possibly do to get Trunks to notice her. Clearly her advance towards him was not welcomed the way she'd hoped, but that was probably only because of her stupid age.

She'd matured greatly since following Trunks and her uncle Goten around and begging for them to train with her. It was obvious. However, with her mother being so busy at work and her father always disappointed in her grades, Pan had been feeling a bit left out lately. School was uninteresting and dull. Grades were the farthest thing from the top of her priority list no matter how much Gohan yelled at her. Friends were hard to come by, too.

_She missed Trunks._

It had been six weeks since Trunks left for his business trip to America. Pan could only assume that he'd reunited with Marron and decided to stay for a while. He wouldn't even answer her texts. Training harder was the only thing that distracted her from the pain of rejection. She told herself that the kiss was a long shot anyway, but that didn't ease the sting of jealousy.

As she sat there in the cold, bundled up in her thick winter coat and warm hat, an approaching power level startled her. She jumped off of the line of bricks and looked around ready for a fight. It was starting to get dark and the lights above weren't much help to see down the street, making her a little nervous. She thought about jumping into the air, but as she felt around in the darkness, the ki didn't feel threatening. Still, her first thoughts were that she would be kidnapped again if she didn't act soon.

"Hello, Pan."

A smooth, light voice spoke to her from the darkness.

"Who's there?" Pan stood her ground and readied herself for a fight. Her heart began to pound as fear built inside of her.

"Please don't be alarmed. It's just me, Tarble."

Pan relaxed, "Oh! I'm so sorry, sir…"

She bowed her head to him in apology. She knew that he wasn't accustomed to being an earthling yet, so she felt obligated to show him a bit more respect than she would if it were simply another person that she knew.

"Oh…please. I don't want to bother you. I just saw that you over here alone. Are you alright?"

He was so polite and sweet compared to Vegeta, but he looked just like him. She was still not used to having him around.

She sighed and crossed her arms, "I'm just…going through some stuff."

Tarble walked over to her and sat on the bricks next to where she stood.

"I truly understand that…"

He looked at the sidewalk with sad eyes that seemed to carry the weight of the world within them. Pan sat back down beside him.

She peered over at him curiously. He was very small, only a tiny bit taller than Pan. He kind of resembled Cabba in a way. His age didn't show nearly as much as Vegeta and Goku's did. Even though saiyans retained their youth for much longer than humans did, it seemed like Tarble was far younger than Vegeta. His face looked young enough to pass for a twenty-something. Not even a single wrinkle was visible.

"Say…how old are you?" Pan asked inquisitively.

Tarble looked surprised.

"Oh…uh…in human years…around thirty-five…I believe?"

Pan sighed. He's way too old to be sitting out here alone with her. What was her deal with older men lately?

"Hey, what's so humorous?" Tarble asked.

Pan realized she'd been laughing out loud, not just in her head. She sighed loudly.

"Oh, you know…I'm just…a magnet for trouble."

Tarble looked confused.

"Trouble? But you seem like such a sweet girl. You remind me a lot of my late wife, actually."

Pan suddenly felt awful. She had completely forgotten that the saiyan guards that took them all captive killed his wife, Gure, in cold blood.

His face was full of sadness again when her eyes met his.

"I'm really sorry, Mr..uh…Tarble."

He smiled, "Please just call me Tarble. The formalities on this planet baffle me. I spent most of my time on a planet that valued others as individuals no matter their status of royalty or lack thereof. I find it quite strange to be referred to as anything but my given name."

Pan marveled at his speech. It was so eloquent, with a certain accent that Vegeta possessed as well. She found herself wanting to hear him say more just to examine the accent alone, but she knew it was far past her curfew. She stood up again, ready to head home.

"Where are you off to?" He asked politely.

"I'm going home I suppose…I don't know what I thought I was doing here anyways."

Tarble looked down at his feet.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, you have feelings for Trunks, correct?"

Pan turned bright red and nearly fell down from his lack of subtlety.

"I don't!...I can't!...I'm not!..." Pan gasped.

Tarble began to laugh gently. Pan suddenly found herself mesmerized. His laugh was light and warm, like a ray of sunshine on a rainy day. Pan stopped talking and put her hands in her puffy coat's pockets.

"I am too young for him. He'll only ever see me as a little sister."

Tarble nodded his head.

"Is that your only reason for avoiding a relationship with him?"

Pan blushed violently, "Well…yes…"

Tarble sighed, "On my planet, age was not an issue. Of course, the people there didn't age or look anything like saiyans…or humans. I sometimes wish that I could turn back the clock and grow up here on this planet. It would certainly help me to understand your strange customs that my brother has grown so fond of. I feel so lost at times."

Pan stood in shock. She desired to be older more than anything. She would gladly skip the next five years of her life in an instant if it meant that she had a chance to be with Trunks. Yet here this grown man was wishing to be young again? It made no sense at all.

"So…how old would you want to be?" She asked out of curiosity as she began to kick around a small rock on the road in front of them.

"I'm not sure…if I had to give an age based on human aging…probably just at the start of manhood."

Pan choked, "Manhood?"

She felt severely embarrassed, but he didn't seem to take it the same way that she did.

"Perhaps somewhere in my mid-teens, then, if I were to be more specific."

Pan sighed with relief.

"What did you think that I was referring to?" He asked, clueless to the corruption that Pan's mind contained.

"Oh, nothing. I mean…I wish that I was at least eighteen."

Tarble cocked his head to one side and asked innocently, "Why?"

She sighed. He really was an alien.

"That's the age when you can do whatever you want! I could move out, get a real job…the possibilities are endless when you turn eighteen!"

Tarble smiled widely, "Really? That's exciting!"

Pan rubbed her head. He was so terribly innocent. A question was burning in her mind, and before she could stop it, she word vomited all over the situation.

"So did you and your wife have any kids?"

Tarble looked confused by her question. He paused and looked down at his dangling feet. Pan felt stupid for asking and tried to quell the situation.

"I'm sorry, that was impolite of me. It's none of my business…"

Tarble looked up with a very serious expression.

"It's not that we didn't want any children, it's just that it was simply impossible."

Pan returned to her seat next to him and pulled one of her legs up underneath her. This was getting interesting.

"So…you can't have kids?"

Tarble seemed confused, "I'm not really sure. I meant that it was impossible for me to mate with her species."

Pan felt a bloody nose coming on from pure humiliation at his non-existent modesty.

"_Mate?_" She exclaimed.

Tarble shrugged, "Yes, well I'll expand upon that…I know that following the saiyan mating ceremony, the female would birth a young saiyan. They'd spend, oh, three to four years in the incubation chamber…then after that they would be placed in the military or sent to another planet to conquer, but I never got to participate in that. I'm not really sure _how_ it works exactly. When I asked Gure, she informed me that it was impossible, so I didn't ask her again."

Pan was utterly fascinated.

"So you have no idea how this…_mating_…actually happened?"

She felt like a pervert for asking such a question, but she was starting to realize that she had to ask him direct questions or he would give her another indirect answer without even realizing he was being vague.

"I really don't. It's quite fascinating to me that my niece is going to birth a child. I never imagined a life where parents were so nurturing to their young. It's heartwarming to see my brother acting this way in anticipation. Last night he was painting a bedroom in their home to prepare…it was, what's the word…it was sweet."

"Caulifla is due sooner than Bra, they're saying." Pan shrugged.

"Probably because she is pure-blood. I thought that nine months seemed awfully long when Vegeta said that about Bra. I don't believe saiyans take that long to produce their young."

Pan sat with a disgusted expression on her face and shook her head. She'd had just about enough complete insanity for the night.

"Well…on that note…"

She began to rise, but Tarble reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Listen, you are quite interesting to talk to. Bulma seems to be busy with work and Vegeta will not train with me. Would you like to train together tomorrow? I feel left out…I am the only one who can't transform it seems…I never had the proper training to trigger the transformation. I thought it was only a myth until I witnessed my brother…"

Pan scowled, "I'm no good for that. I can't transform, either."

Tarble released her arm, but continued holding her gaze contently.

"Oh…well, perhaps we can help each other attain that goal, then!"

His smile was large and bright, causing Pan to feel obligated to agree. It couldn't be too bad of an idea. Maybe he knew some weird, alien fighting techniques.

"Well…I will under one circumstance…"

Tarble nodded his head eagerly.

"You have _got_ to get rid of that tail!"

Tarble's face twisted into that of complete horror.

"What? My tail? But…but why would you even suggest that?"

Pan rolled her eyes and prepared herself for the speech she'd heard Gohan give about his own tail that was removed when he was a young boy.

"Pan…a saiyan's tail is his _lifeline_. I am quite aware of the power that I possess in keeping my tail on a foreign planet, but I would never put myself in a position to destroy a life. I _love_ life."

He unwrapped his tail from his waist and held it loosely in his hands.

"This is a symbol of the life that I live. I choose how to live it, and I certainly choose to keep my tail until I die."

Pan looked at him completely baffled. She began to turn away, but Tarble stopped her again.

"You must alter your clothing to hide your tails here, right? I haven't seen any of you with them. Today a human asked me if I was a "furry"…what _is_ that?"

Pan threw her hand up and rested her face in her palm.

"No…mine was cut off when I was born. My dad's was removed, too. Trunks and Goten were born without them…so was Bra."

Tarble practically fell off of the wall in horror.

"What? Removed? By whom? What a horrible thing! And…and…born without one? Who has ever heard of a saiyan with no tail?"

Pan couldn't help but laugh at his frantic reaction.

"All of our tails are removed. Your brother almost killed everyone when he transformed into a great ape, so did my dad…so after my dad's was removed, my parents decided not to let any future saiyans keep their tails. Caulifla and Cabba…I don't think the saiyans from where they came from even have them."

Tarble squealed in pain and wrapped his tail back around his waist protectively.

"Please do not remove mine! I would like to keep it! I won't go outside on a full moon! I promise! Just help me train during the day!"

Pan threw up her arms in surrender and scoffed, "Fine! I'll help you."

He smiled and hopped up. He threw his arms around her in joy.

Pan felt her face heat up and pushed him away, "What are you doing?"

He laughed at her, "Perhaps we can take a good walk around the area as well? I'm afraid to go too far away from this home because I fear that I won't be able to find my way back. I would have come back so much sooner had I not gotten lost in another city. Living on your own is very difficult on Earth. I have a horrible sense of direction."

Pan looked at him with disbelief, "Can't you just fly? You should be able to feel Vegeta's ki, too…"

Tarble looked ashamed, "I'm not so good with either of those things…perhaps that can be our first lesson!"

Pan shrugged and gave up trying to justify any reasons why she couldn't help him. He was like trying to explain something to a curious five-year-old.

The next day, Pan walked to Capsule Corp after school instead of flying. She knew that he would be waiting in the same spot, but didn't want to rush there. She was dreading this "session" as though it were a form of studying, her least favorite activity. She told Videl and Gohan that she was getting extra help from Bulma, so she figured that she'd have at least until after dinner time to work with Tarble.

Sure enough, as she approached the Brief home, there he was. He was sitting with a book of some sort, reading intently and ignoring his surroundings. His tail waved around happily behind him without a single thought of someone cutting it off. She decided to use this as a serious training moment. She quickly kicked off of the ground and blasted towards Tarble. She spiraled full speed at him and grabbed his tail. She stood next to him on the sidewalk, tail in hand, laughing at his lack of focus.

Tarble sat completely still, holding the book tightly, but with a look of total dismay on his face. His Vegeta-like features appeared like a softened version of the hardcore warrior as Tarble trembled at the hands of a mere quarter-saiyan. Pan laughed maniacally and let go of his tail, throwing it towards him. He fell to the ground and sat there, completely frozen in fear.

"Why…why would you do that? I told you that I didn't want to lose my tail!"

Pan sighed, "Rule number one…always have your guard up! Anyone could have seen you waving that thing around! That means anyone could come up and cut it right off!"

She made a chopping motion with her hand and laughed when Tarble squeaked in fear.

"I'm so sorry, you are right!" He wrapped his tail tightly around his waist, "I won't do it again!"

Pan felt superior to this little, scrawny man. He said that he's thirty-five, but he acted as though he was an equal to her. There were no feelings of seniority or authority, only that of gratitude and respect. It was refreshing. She decided that spending some quality time with Tarble wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Hours flew by as she trained and sparred with Tarble. He was quick, smart and gutsy with his attacks, but Pan's experience bested him every time. She got him to fly much faster simply by flying at her normal speed. His desire to keep up with her was great enough to inspire all sorts of accomplishments that should have taken weeks to achieve. She enjoyed his quick progress, but in the back of her mind worried that he would transform before her if she didn't slow him down. He was a natural.

"Does your family require you at home?" Tarble asked as they rested in a nearby field to catch their breath.

"No. No one even notices that I'm gone. My dad thinks that Bulma is tutoring me in school work, so he lets me stay out."

Tarble laughed, "I don't see how that can be of importance. I saw the work that you did with Trunks on your project. You left it there for him to see with the letter "A" on top, right? I don't understand how that can help you in life."

Pan smiled widely, "_Exactly!"_

Exhausted, she laid back on the soft grass and stared up at the sky. It was dark enough to see some stars, but still lit by the city lights. Tarble laid back with a thud next to Pan, rather close to her side. She felt a warm pull in her stomach but continued staring up.

"I love this planet. The sky is so beautiful." He said softly.

She rolled over and looked at him, "So…what does it look like from the planet you're from?"

Tarble smiled, not moving his gaze from the stars.

"It's…more green in color. It never looks quite this dark there. There's also multiple moons and other planets around. You can see all of them so clearly…so much bigger, too. This planet has such a tiny, single moon."

Pan was mesmerized by his descriptions. His eyes were big, bright pools of black as he admired the view and seemed to enjoy the feeling of cool grass beneath him.

"Did your planet have grass?" Pan asked, feeling the spikey blades in her hand.

Tarble looked to his side and pulled out a clump.

"Not like this. It was harder, more like…Earth plastic. It was also purple in color."

Pan laughed, "That's so weird!"

"Yes well, your planet is very…_weird_. I never imagined so much…" He paused long enough for Pan to feel awkward in the silence.

"So much _what_?" She finally asked.

"Life." He breathed.

Pan blushed. What a beautiful thing to say. She could guarantee that no one she currently knew besides Tarble would say such a thing. Earth was a scary place full of evil and hate. He had no idea about any of that, though.

She sat up and decided she should head home before her cover was blown. Tarble watched her get up and held out a hand playfully for help getting himself off of the cool Earth.

"I really had a good time today, Pan."

Pan smiled, "Me too!"

Tarble looked at the ground inquisitively.

"So…I have this theory. I'd like to test it tomorrow if you aren't too busy?"

Pan responded energetically, "Of course not! Let's check it out! Is it about turning super saiyan?"

He grinned from ear to ear, "Um…yes! Let us meet at the same time, same place, then."

Pan gave him a thumbs up and kicked off into the air. She watched him turn into a small, black dot in the field of dancing grass.

When she arrived the next day, Tarble was sitting on the grass in front of the brick wall with another book, tail wrapped, and waving at her from a distance. She smiled at the thought that he was using his senses to feel her ki instead of waiting to see her with his eyes. She shot forward, landing next to him.

"I don't have as much time today…my parents didn't believe that I was with Bulma for so long yesterday. We'll have to make it quick. What was the theory that you had in mind?"

Tarble rose to his feet and quietly closed his book. He seemed to be nervous and wouldn't look Pan in the eyes.

"I didn't tell you something about myself. I feel it's important to divulge if we are to continue this friendship."

She looked at him confused, "What do you mean?"

He sighed, turning away from her and crossing his arms.

"I'm…highly intelligent."

Pan laughed and rolled her eyes.

"_Okay?_ Brag much."

She wondered if all of the training from previous day made him delirious. What a weird thing to say.

"My planet had extremely advanced technology. I was exploring Bulma's lab and…well, she doesn't come close to what I worked on with Gure. It's laughable, really."

Pan's mouth fell open.

"You're telling me that all of that gibber-gabber down there makes sense to you?"

Tarble turned to face her with a confused look, "What is 'gibber-gabber'?"

She dropped her crossed arms to her sides. When she didn't answer, Tarble quickly moved on to the next thought.

"I want to try something, but I'll need you to come with me to test the hypothesis…"

He started towards the house, but Pan grabbed his arm.

"Wait, wait, wait…you sat there and told me that my school work was unimportant but you are a super genius and now you're being all shady…what else are you hiding?"

Tarble shrugged, "Your schooling is obsolete, yes."

Pan continued to feel totally baffled by this strange saiyan. He was so innocent, yet so experienced. His sweet smile seemed so pure, yet his intelligence was wise and mature. Pan felt her cheeks getting warm as she thought about his weird allure, but shook her head and tried to stay level headed.

"What are you going to show me? Tell me now or I'm not going."

Tarble took her hand, "Let me _show_ you instead!"

He started running towards the back of the house, dragging her along.

"Tarble! What are we doing?"

He looked from side to side, leaning up against the side of the round house.

"We're sneaking into Bulma's lab!"

Pan's hair practically stood on end. "What do you mean sneaking in? There's a back door, you know? And why not just go in from the inside?"

Tarble sighed, "So many questions for such a young girl…"

Pan scoffed, "You are like an inch taller than me!"

He smiled and her heart stopped beating for a split second. Was this his way of flirting? She felt totally confused.

"Ok!" He exclaimed quietly, grabbing her hand again and tossing her forward. "Let's go!"

A small window sat just above ground, tilted open slightly. It was just large enough that they could shimmy through it.

"I unlocked this earlier today when Bulma left. Vegeta is inside eating between training sessions right now, so we have to use this way."

Pan suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline. She'd never done anything so devious.

After they both slipped through the tiny window, Tarble locked it and ran over to a large tarp covering the wall. Pan realized what it was and gasped.

"Tarble! Is that…is that the hyperbolic time chamber?" Pan exclaimed in a whisper.

"If that's what you want to call it, then sure it is!" He smiled.

"We can't go in there…we won't come out for twenty-four hours…plus you'll get older, not younger! What if it doesn't work and we're trapped in there forever…I can't live with that!"

Tarble looked offended, "This is _my_ work…of course it will work."

Pan came closer. He ripped down the tarp, revealing a large golden door. Tarble beamed proudly.

"I've re-calibrated it for two people. My age will reverse, while yours will increase! It's exactly what you wanted!"

Pan looked skeptical, "So…I just go inside and I'll age?"

He nodded, "Precisely."

"But how will you…get younger?"

"It's a simple equation really. These machines…I've heard of them but I've never seen one. It's a portal to another dimension. It's a little like time-splicing."

He started to fiddle with the many knobs and dials outside of the door that Pan remembered seeing Bulma work on. She would be furious if she knew he was messing with it.

"So…did you kick up the gravity? We'll reach super saiyan in here…maybe even higher! A whole year…are you sure about this?"

Tarble nodded again without any anxiety at all.

"I've added a module here that will make time go faster. In our minds, it won't feel so long. It's very complex, so I doubt that I can explain it all right now."

Pan frowned. "_Okay_…"

Tarble smiled proudly, "I want to test it before I try the reverse aging effect. You shared that you wanted to age, so I thought that maybe you'd like to go in first."

Pan scowled, "I don't get it. You want me to go alone? In _there_?"

Tarble smiled, "Well…just trust me. Isn't that what you want? No more high school and no more homework? Trunks? I can let you out in thirty minutes from now. How about that?"

Pan's face lit up. Trunks, of course! If she aged, he would have no excuse to avoid her anymore! She could finally convince him that she was the one for him. No more secret crushing and awkward conversations.

"Fine. Thirty minutes." She warned, "But then you pull me out of there."

He nodded and adjusted a switch slightly. When he finished, he held out a hand.

"I promise you'll be okay." Tarble said confidently.

Pan took his hand and gulped. He opened the golden door and helped her inside, sending her into a trance-like state and lost in an abyss of white mist. She heard the door slam behind her and panicked.

_What had she just done? _


	7. Chapter 7

Six weeks had passed by since Trunks left for America. Though the initial plan was for him to stay there for just a week, he continued to extend the trip to visit sites and enjoy the country. America was really beginning to grow on him.

Goten had a sneaking suspicion about what Trunks was actually doing, but felt uncomfortable asking.

_It must be nice to be the president of a company and have the authority to do whatever you want_.

Even if Goten decided to ask Trunks straight out, he knew that Trunks would never share his personal thoughts or feelings unless absolutely necessary. In the event that the company did become bothered by his absence, he would surely have a solid business excuse ready to fire off at the drop of a hat. Emotions didn't define Trunks' career, that's for sure.

On the other side of the coin, Goten knew that growing up with Bulma as a mother certainly prepared Trunks for a lifetime of getting away with whatever he wanted regardless of the excuse. When he finally did get up the courage to ask Trunks when he was coming back, the response was very brief and vague. Goten was getting worried about his best friend. After some digging, it was all too easy to find the truth.

After Trunks' departure, Pan could be found moping around the house and hanging out in the city after school ended. He knew she had a huge crush on him, but her behavior was a little bizarre. It was almost as though she thought she had a chance with him. Goten dismissed that idea quickly and asked her what she knew about his trip. She easily spilled the big secret that Marron kicked him to the curb just before moving away one night. Despite Pan's dramatic retelling, Goten didn't find her actions towards Trunks all that out of character. Besides, Marron was seriously messed up from her father's death, her mother's new relationship with Yamcha and the fact that Bra was pregnant by her very own ex-fiancé. The poor girl didn't know what to do with her life. Breaking Trunks' heart in the process was probably the last concern on her plate.

Moving to America was an easy out for her to start over. Of course she took it without thinking. She never thought about decisions for very long before acting on them. It was one of the things that Goten had such a problem with about her. She was just as bad as he was with decision making.

After the information about Marron sank in for a little while, Goten decided to get some work done at home. He'd been distracted all day, so he was sure Trunks wouldn't be happy about the lack of data reports he'd entered. He opened his laptop and started opening files, but his pocket began to ring just as his fingers touched the keys. He pulled out the phone and swiped up with his thumb, revealing a bright smile from none other than his lovely girlfriend.

"Hey, babe!" Goten chimed happily, "I've been thinking about you a lot today."

Bra giggled, "Yeah? Well wait until you get home! I've been working on something…your mom came over today to spend some time with me...Crazy, right?"

Goten nearly choked on the coffee he'd begun to sip out of his Capsule Corp mug.

"My mom came _there?_ To see _you?"_

Bra's face fell into a classic Bulma scowl, "Well, _yeah_…she isn't _heartless_, you know."

Goten wiped some coffee off of his chin and keyboard.

"I'm just saying…it's weird. Did dad come, too?"

Bra laughed, "Yes, but he's still outside sparring with my dad. Pan came with them, too. She's around here somewhere. Videl stayed home with Gohan. I guess she's not feeling well today."

Goten began to space out a bit and stared out the windows that lined his office wall. Though his office wasn't directly next to the outside windows, he did have a clear view of the long hallway up to Trunks' office and could see when people of importance were about to visit. Unfortunately for him, the second in command had real disdain for Trunks. In turn, he also hated Goten. His bland, pale suit was barely visible at the end of the royally carpeted hallway.

"Babe…I gotta go. The boss-man is coming!" Goten practically screamed at his phone, beating it senselessly to hang up.

The man placed a hand on Goten's glass door's handle and entered without knocking.

"_Well, well_…if it isn't the faithful servant here all by himself again."

Goten shot to his feet and stared at the ground.

"Uh…yes…hello, sir."

The man smoothed his black mustache with his pointer finger before walking about the office and observing the surroundings.

"This is an awfully nice office for such an unimportant employee…if Trunks doesn't get back here to defend your honor soon, I may have to move you to a more…_modest_…location."

Goten gulped. He was never very good with authority, especially disrespectful authority, but there was something about this man that seriously frightened the living hell out of him.

The slender man sat down in one of the leather chairs in front of Goten's desk and crossed his leg over the other. His large, expensive watch glistened under the florescent lights above.

"Goten, I have a proposition for you."

Goten pulled out his chair and sat down nervously.

"I would like for you to retrieve our missing CEO from his hiatis. Things around here are…" He looked out the windows and down the hall before turning back to Goten, "Uncomfortable."

Goten leaned back in his chair in an attempt to look more authoritative, but almost fell backwards out of the chair and scooted up to the desk awkwardly.

"H-He's been in contact with me daily. He sends me data and reports to file and itemize and he's been closing new deals with companies in California all the way to New York."

The impatient man's face was stone cold and unchanging.

"So…will you go or do I have to fire you and hire someone who will? I only ask because I'm assuming that you two are…close?"

He looked down onto Goten's mahogany desk and motioned towards the lone picture that adorned the surface. The black frame held a picture that Goten took a few weeks ago of him and Bra sitting on the staircase of the Brief home.

"I can also assume that the youngest child of the Brief family is the reason that you were hired with no prerequisites or qualifications for the job."

Goten began to feel a cold sweat creep up his spine.

He stuttered slightly, "I'm…I…well I guess I could travel."

The boss clapped his hands together, nearly sending Goten through the ceiling.

"_Excellent_. I knew that I could count on you. All expenses paid, of course. I'll let my assistant know to arrange everything. You'll leave tomorrow."

He got up from the chair and took another look at the photograph, "She is beautiful that one. Just as stunning as her mother."

He smiled a crooked grin. Goten instantly felt protective and uneasy at his tone.

"I will be in touch, then."

Goten stiffly walked to his door and held it open for his superior, but wanted to drop it in his face as he slithered back into the hallway. Goten had a strange feeling that he knew him from somewhere else, but he couldn't decide where and definitely didn't know his creepy face. It was more of a vibe than anything else.

That night, Goten arrived home to his new apartment that he'd rented with Bra. It was good to have a place of his own, no longer living off of Bulma and Vegeta and certainly far away from his mother, but it still felt strange. He opened the door and stopped dead in his tracks. The glorious scent of traditional, East Village cooking smacked him in the face like a sack of bricks.

"_Goten!"_

The familiar voice filled his head with horrible dread just before he was ambushed with a hug.

"I've been missing you all day! I had a fantastic day with your future wife…turns out that she's quite the little cook!"

Bra stepped out of the kitchen holding a large bowl. She was wearing a pink apron, identical to Chichi's, and an adorable white cook hat to keep her long hair away from the food. She was still stirring the contents of the bowl furiously, but smiled at Goten and blew him a kiss before returning to the kitchen.

She was about three months pregnant, but looked much further along. According to Vegeta, saiyan women were never pregnant for as long as human women, but he couldn't remember just how long that was. Since they'd never experienced a saiyan woman giving birth before, they assumed Bra could go into labor at any time. She was growing tired of the constant hovering. The only thing that brought Goten any comfort was the fact that Caulifla was just a little bit ahead of Bra, yet still pregnant with no signs of labor.

Just ahead, Goku sat on the couch to the right of Goten and turned to his son warmly.

"Goten! I love this tv! I've never really watched one this big before…I could sit here all day!"

Goten laughed and hung his leather jacket on the hooks next to the front door.

"I'm surprised you're here. Weren't you sparring with Vegeta?"

Goku shrugged, "Your mom called me and said there was food...can't you _smell_ that?"

He smiled happily. Goten forgot how easy it was to distract his father from anything with the right amount of food.

"That's cool, dad…"

Goten walked into the living area and sat down with a thud. He dreaded the conversation he was about to have, especially with Bra as pregnant as she was. Going to America was the last thing he wanted to do at this point in time.

"What's up with you, son? You look kinda down…" Goku asked innocently, flipping through the channels.

Goten sighed and looked over his shoulder to make sure Chichi and Bra were safely out of hearing distance.

"The office wants to me to go to America and convince Trunks to come back."

Goku looked shocked, "But…what about…"

Goten slapped a hand over Goku's mouth.

"I haven't told her yet. This all just went down. I'm gonna try to call him tonight to avoid this…it's not my intention to go, but they are going to demote me if Trunks doesn't get back here and defend my job!"

He released Goku from his death grip and slid back into the large, puffy couch.

"I just want him to come back here. Honestly, I can't afford any of this without that job. Trunks is paying me way too much…but I like it."

He ran his hands over the soft, green sofa and put one of the designer pillows behind his head.

"Ya know…Bra doesn't spare any expense."

Goku looked around at the deep red walls and gorgeous, dark crown molding. The furniture was posh and modern, with a homey touch from the choices Bra let Goten have. The lime green couch seemed out of place, but Bra assured them that it was the latest in home décor style.

"I love it here. I love this life." Goten sighed.

Goku's face fell slightly, "We didn't raise you to be so materialistic, son…"

Goten shot Goku an angry glare, causing his father to shrink down and apologize frantically.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, please…I know! Your mom didn't…is that better?"

Goten relaxed, clutching another pillow like a child and breathing out his frustration. He was still very sensitive about his father's shoddy parenting, but tried his very best to learn to live with it.

"Anyways, Goten...just call him tonight and see if he'll listen. Tell him it's urgent!"

Goten stared up at the vaulted, white ceiling and felt like screaming. Just when he was starting to settle in and enjoy himself, another issue had to arise and make everything complicated again.

Bra came out from the kitchen with a huge smile and invited them to the dining room.

"Okay, boys…come see what we've got for dinner!"

Goku popped up and hugged Bra around the shoulders.

"Thank you, thank you!"

Bra laughed and held out a hand for Goten. He smiled weakly at her and got up, pulling her into his arms. He looked down at her sparkling blue eyes and noticed just a hint of purple around her pupils. It came and went from time to time, but he wondered if it was an indication that Lace would have purple eyes. He took in a deep breath as he stared her.

"I love you." He said, kissing her forehead.

She looked up at him and smiled. "I love you, too."

The table was set with beautiful candles and plates. Clearly, Chichi wanted tonight to be a memory for them as a family. Goten knew how much Chichi did for Videl and Gohan when Videl was pregnant with Pan, so this must be her way of doing the same for her second son.

They all began to eat happily and talked about mundane, everyday things throughout the meal. Towards the end, Chichi's phone rang.

"I'm sorry about that…let me see what's going on." She said apologetocally as she rose up to answer away from the table.

Goku laughed, "I never thought I'd see the day when you could convince your mother and me to get cell phones."

Goten smiled maniacally, "I never thought I'd see the day that you two would know how to _use_ them."

Bra slapped Goten on the arm, but they all seemed to agree on that fact.

Chichi came back into the room with a look of horror on her face. Bra stopped eating and rose up from her seat with concern.

Goten rolled his eyes and put his face in his palm. "What _now_, mom? God, I just know that look way too well…"

Chichi shook her head, "I-It was Bulma…we should go over…"

Bra placed a hand on her belly and the other on her head.

"We can't have a drama free dinner, huh?" Bra sighed.

Chichi put her phone on the table.

"I think Pan…may have…"

Goku's eyes lit up with worry. "What happened to Pan?"

Chichi shrugged, "Bulma thought it was a genius idea to re-make the hyperbolic time chamber for Vegeta. Pan seems to have locked herself inside with the timer set for five days."

Goku choked on his food.

"What?" Goten and Bra exclaimed in unison.

Bra walked to the door to grab her coat. "Let's get over there now and figure out how we can get her out of that damn machine. I knew that this would happen…as soon as mom mentioned that it was down there and explained what it was to Pan..."

Goten leaned his back against the chair.

"We just can't learn, can we?" He hollered dramatically, amused by the situation.

"Guys, grab on!" Goku demanded in a panic, holding out his hands.

Holding onto Bra, Goten placed a firm hand on his father's massive shoulder. As soon as Chichi took his hand in hers, they disappeared into thin air. Within a split second, they arrived at Bulma's. Instant transmission still had to be the coolest thing Goten had ever experienced. It never got old.


	8. Chapter 8

In life, there are things that nobody wants to do. In the territorial and brutal world of corporate business, building a company as successful as Capsule Corp is nearly impossible. However, thanks to Bulma and her ingenious father before her, Capsule Corp literally owned Japan. Its products and discoveries brought Japan to the forefront of innovation and technology. Staying confined to one country was never the ultimate plan, but Bulma was not the best negotiator when it came to expanding the company to new places. Her emotional involvement was far too great. She was too sensitive and far too frugal with their assets to truly compromise with European and American buyers. Unfortunately for Trunks, this fact alone meant that their recent ventures into American business fell completely on his shoulders alone. The task of growing the company was now in his hands.

On a bright and sunny Saturday morning, Trunks stepped off of his private jet and snickered at the various body guards stationed around him. He'd always thought it was quite hilarious that his mother insisted on the guards, but he knew it was more about protecting the company's image than showing off her half-saiyan super son's strength. He had to look like a vulnerable, super star to be respected as one. His young age matched with his hefty wealth and single status shot him straight to the top of celebrity status across the globe. He was the man that every woman wanted.

With a deep breath, he stepped onto the tarmac and looked towards the airport as he buttoned up his expensive sports coat and trotted down the stairs. That breath was quickly taken straight from his lungs when he saw a girl with long, blonde hair and a pink coat standing just outside of the private entrance door.

Trunks' heart skipped a beat. He couldn't breathe. He ran forward, knocking down two of the men in black suits, towards the pink goddess up ahead.

"Sorry!" He called as he kicked off of the ground slightly and zoomed forward. The cold, December air in New York City whipped across his face and took his breath away for a second time.

"_Marron!"_

He stopped gliding and hit the ground running, grabbing her up into his arms and spinning her around.

"I was so afraid that you wouldn't come…I'm so happy to see you…"

He stopped spinning her and buried his tan face into her angel-soft hair.

"I can't believe that _you're_ here! New York!" She gasped, stifling tears of joy, "Trunks…when you called…I didn't know how to feel at first…but I'm so glad that I answered…I'm so sorry…"

He lifted up his head and placed a cold finger on her warm lips.

"Stop apologizing. Stop it right now. You don't need to say that anymore. I'm here now. I'm right here with you and nothing that you say is gonna change that."

Marron's eyes widened as her heart melted like butter.

"I've missed you so much, Trunks…"

Trunks enveloped her in his impressive arms and kissed her forehead. He was so unbelievably happy that his life was finally looking up that he didn't notice all of the guards, the pilots, and several other people staring at them.

"Uh…I believe we need to get you straight to an event, sir…" The head guard said awkwardly.

Trunks gasped, "That's right! Wanna be my date to a fancy-schmancy party?"

Marron laughed, "Wearing _this_?"

Trunks held out his hand to one of the guards.

"Actually…I prepared for the possibility of you meeting me here. I knew you'd make it."

The man handed him a small suitcase with a purple ribbon on the top.

"This is for you. I hope you remember the first time you wore something just like it..."

Marron's eyes sparkled with excitement. She took the suitcase hastily out of the man's arms and unzipped the top to peek inside.

"Trunks! It's just like the dress you bought for me in Japan! How did you remember what it looked like?"

Trunks shrugged with a genuine smile, "How could I ever _forget_?"

Marron jumped forward and hugged him again, smiling a bright and happy smile.

The guards began to rush the two forward. They entered a private door to the airport that quickly led them around the general public. Marron held onto Trunks' arm tightly, afraid she'd fall from the pushing and shoving of Trunks' entourage.

"I have to warn you, Mare…this might be a little embarrassing for you. Just smile and keep breathing…that's what the agents say, anyway."

Marron looked up innocently, "What?"

The doors of the posh VIP terminal opened ahead of them. Dozens of cameras ambushed them, screaming and flashing lights. The paparazzi called out questions and comments as Trunks smoothly made his way through the crowd, smiling and waving politely.

"Oh, my God! So this is why you have body guards?" Marron exclaimed, overwhelmed.

Trunks laughed, "You could say that."

Marron scanned the many excited and desperate faces, catching their attention.

"Miss! Miss! Are you the new girlfriend?" A man in a Capsule Corp t-shirt called out.

Marron blushed and held her breath.

"This is the girlfriend! Get her picture!" A large man with an even larger camera called out to the others.

The flock of people swarmed the area around them, so much so that they couldn't move any further. The squealing fans dropped their suitcases and rushed over to catch a glimpse of the world's hottest celebrity.

"Okay…I'll deal with this." Trunks said calmly to his guards.

He stepped forward and held up a hand.

"I wanna say thanks to all my fans out there watching…tell you what, I'll answer three questions straight from you guys. Then you have to let us through to a very important meeting…you wouldn't want to keep a celebrity waiting."

The cameras zoomed towards Trunks and hands went flying in the air, waving pencils, pens and other writing utensils everywhere.

"Sir, is it true that you will be starring in an upcoming film about aliens and robots?"

Trunks laughed, "No. I was offered the contract, but I've got more pressing matters to attend to."

He looked down at Marron and pulled her close to his side, sending her into embarrassing oblivion. The crowd surged again at his gesture as he chose the second flailing hand.

"Sir, is this your girlfriend? Did she travel here with you from Japan?"

Trunks looked down at Marron for approval and got a blank stare of horror in return. He quickly recalled their lengthy phone conversation only hours beforehand and decided to take the plunge.

"Yes. This is my girlfriend and she traveled here with me."

Marron gasped for air as several girls around them protested loudly. The head guard was pushing Trunks forward again, but only Marron could feel his delicate nudging.

"Let's make the last question a quick one…"

Trunks called on a third person, who came to the front of the crowd and smiled devilishly.

"Is it true that your company is in the market for mergers to gain power over the American stock market and consume smaller companies for your own profit?"

The crowd gasped loudly and the body guards instantly took to their ear pieces, whispering directions and looking around wildly. Trunks took a step forward with a relaxed look on his face. He didn't miss a beat.

"This is simply incorrect information and it's embarrassing that your constituents have run out of better things to talk about. Do you feel good when you make the good people viewing this feel as though our company doesn't have the best intentions? Capsule Corp is and always has been about the people. Thank you."

He turned on his heel and waved goodbye. The crowd instantly burst into life and followed, but the guards held them back, allowing Trunks to slip into a private elevator and head to his car. Marron felt as though she was drowning.

"That was horrifying! Will I be on TV? Will my mom see that? Since when did you become so famous?"

Trunks laughed and rubbed his head.

"My mother usually handles the press in Japan so I ended up becoming this mysterious businessman that everyone wanted to know here in the US. Besides, remember when you said that I reminded you of the guy from Fifty Shades? Apparently you weren't the only person to notice the resemblance."

Marron blushed and giggled uncontrollably. She buried her face into his jacket, taking in the lush scent of his expensive cologne with glee.

That evening, Marron attended the most lavish party she'd ever seen. Everything from the wine to the food to the venue was completely garnished in the most expensive of materials.

The hotel ballroom was large with a huge vaulted ceiling. Enormous chandeliers hung above, dazzling the ceiling with crystal-like reflections. The music was polite and elegant, with a string quartet playing Mozart and Bach in the background. Women shuffled about in fancy dresses covered with sequins and sparkles. Heels clacked on the shiny, wooden floor at every turn and men were chatting away about their successful business dealings. She felt quite out of her element, but was certainly dressed the part in her purple dress from Trunks.

After some suave conversations with older businessmen, Trunks led Marron out to the dance floor. He was in his element. He picked her up and twirled her, dipping her and spinning her over and over again.

His dance moves were unrivaled by the competition, clearly due to his upbringing in this environment. His jet black tuxedo and silver bow tie looked fit for a royal wedding, causing the many ladies to swarm and swoon every time he flashed his trademark Brief smirk. Swiftly flitting along the floor, they looked like a black and purple whirl of color and sparkles. No one could get enough of the newly announced power couple.

After the party and even a few speeches, Trunks took Marron back to his hotel room. Of course he stayed in only the finest accommodations. Marron ran her fingers along the marble countertops of his kitchen and watched as he unbuttoned his jacket and threw it on the leather couch. He casually lit the fireplace and started to undo his tie when Marron realized they hadn't spoken about their phone conversation since he'd arrived.

"Trunks?" Marron asked sheepishly.

"Yo?"

"You called me…your girlfriend tonight. Is that what I am to you now?"

"Is that what you wanna be?"

Marron giggled, "Yeah…"

"Well then, I suppose I spoke correctly."

Marron took a step forward. She wanted to fall into his arms, but he had no idea what he was asking of her. He had no idea what she'd been through in the short time she'd spent in America. He didn't know the pain she felt inside.

"I'm…I'm broken, Trunks. I just don't know if I'm what you want…"

Trunks cocked his head to the side and strolled into the kitchen. He stopped in front of her and put his hands in his pockets.

"Mare…What do you mean?"

"I'm not…good for you."

"Good for me?"

"Good…" Marron breathed.

Trunks stepped closer. He looked down into her dark blue eyes and raised her chin up to his with his hand. Delicately, he searched her soul for an answer to her confusing statement. The silence filled the room. Trunks could hear only the ticking of a clock on the wall and Marron's heavy breathing. He moved his hand to stroke her cheek, causing her to inhale sharply.

"You are the only thing that's good for me."

"You don't know what you're saying, Trunks." Marron laughed, pushing away slightly.

"I do know one thing, Marron."

He leaned forward quickly. Just before he reached her pink lips, he stopped. She could taste his breath on her. The scent of wine sent her back to the dancefloor they'd just left where she felt safe and complete as she spun around in his arms. She wasn't sure that she could resist, but he had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"Do you remember…that night…in college…?" Trunks whispered, placing one hand on her lower back and pulling her against him slowly.

Marron gasped. He'd never brought that night up before. Why now? Why did it matter?

"I…I do…but I…"

"Tell me…Why didn't you ever tell Goten about it?"

Trunks moved his hand from her face and down to her bare shoulder. He traced the contour of her collar bone from her neck to her arm with one finger, never taking his eyes off of hers.

"I thought…it would just hurt him…"

"He has Bra now. None of that matters anymore. If he were here, in America with us…would you tell him?"

He continued tracing one finger down her arm until he reached her waist. He joined his other hand and caressed her back gently. Marron shivered.

"I don't know. Why does it matter? That was so long ago…"

His lips parted with a tiny sigh as though the answer was obvious. He pulled her even closer against his body.

"It matters because I'm in love with you. I want you all to myself. I need to know…before this goes any further…I flew all the way out here…"

She felt him growing excited against her as one hand dragged slowly up her back towards the zipper on her dress.

"I need to know that from this moment forward…you're mine…and I'm yours…and that Goten isn't a part of this anymore…"

Marron gasped as the cold zipper began sliding down her spine.

"I…" Marron whispered.

Trunks smirked.

"You…?"

The zipper reached the bottom of its track. His expert hands moved towards her shoulders again and began sliding the dress down like silk.

"I-I'm yours." Marron exhaled breathlessly.

"Good…Because is in town…and you have _no_ idea how long he's been waiting for this."

Trunks let Marron's dress slide down her slim figure and pile onto the floor. She gasped as the cold air hit her bare skin and ignited a fire within her. Trunks pulled on the knot of his tie and loosened it enough to slip it over his head. He dropped his hands to her waist and pushed her back against the wall behind her. He stared into her eyes like a hungry animal, making her stomach flutter.

"What exactly is it that has been so patiently waiting for, Mr. Brief?" Marron purred softly.

The trigger was pulled. Trunks lunged forward, locking his lips with hers. He pinned her arms against the wall and pressed his entire body against her. She could feel him getting even more excited now, hard and ready to take her like he had all those years ago. She remembered the feeling and squirmed under him. She remembered the raw passion they shared on that drunken night. However, something was different this time. Something was unhinged and wild, like he'd dropped everything weighing on his heart at the door. He was ready to unleash himself upon her in ways she could only dream of until that very second.

Marron began to unbutton his shirt, but quickly became frustrated and ripped it open, sending the buttons flying about the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself up to him. The feeling of his chiseled body against her naked breasts sent chills down her spine.

He reached under her bottom and pulled her legs up around his waist. Without stumbling, he traveled to the countertop she'd just been standing beside and set her down. He began to ravage her neck and collar bone with a frantic tongue that couldn't be tamed. She was sure that she'd need a ton of cover up the next day at the rate he was going.

"Oh, _Trunks_…" Marron moaned.

She pushed her way to his zipper and undid his pants hastily. They dropped to the floor, revealing the excitement she'd felt against her earlier. She had to pause and admire for at least a second.

"Wow…"

"Best believe." Trunks answered.

He took each side of her stringy thong in his fingers and ripped it from her body, leaving her heaving heavy gasps for what was to come.

Without another moment to waste, Trunks pulled her to the edge and rammed himself into her. She shouted, first in shock but soon in pure pleasure. Trunks was considerably bigger than what she remembered Goten to be. She felt like he was splitting her in half.

When Trunks felt her tiring, he picked her up from the counter. Still inside of her, he rested her on the arm of the couch just behind them and pushed her back. He kept a hold of one leg and let her knee cling to his shoulder as the other fell limp at his side.

He pushed himself against her and began his ruthless pumping again. She felt him deep inside of her. He was hitting deeper than she thought was possible. He continuously gripped her right leg and used it to propel backward and forward. Marron was sure she'd be black and blue by the next day.

Briefly, her mind traveled back to what it was like with Goten. He was never so aggressive and confident. Something about him always made her feel like he was vulnerable. He was afraid to try new things and afraid to make the first move. He held back and let her move at her own pace.

Trunks was the opposite. He was forceful and possessive. He made her feel like a delicate flower and like an indestructible tank all at once. She looked up at his face and saw the raw power he had over her. She was intoxicated by his control. His brow was furrowed and looked angry, yet his face showed the passion and pleasure he was feeling at the same time. Just looking at him was enough to send her skyrocketing into another climax. She'd lost track of how many she'd just experienced in a row, where Goten rarely got her to that point in the past.

"Marron, I'm gonna…"

"Yes!" She screamed, startled by her own enthusiasm.

Trunks grabbed her leg and held on tight. She watched his face and smiled. He stayed put as he finished, making Marron all the more grateful she never stopped taking her birth control after breaking up with Goten. Causing this much pleasure in a man was extremely satisfying.

Hastily, he dropped her leg and stepped back quickly. His expression seemed to change like night and day. Blinded by the flurry of pleasure she was still shaking with, she laid still and watching him helplessly.

"I'm gonna get a shower…" Trunks said quietly, looking away.

"Me…too…" She panted.

"Okay…there's two bathrooms. I'll take the smaller one."

Trunks turned away from her and began retreating to the smaller of the two bedrooms.

"Wait…what? Trunks…"

Marron sat up on the couch and leaned over the back. She suddenly felt a little embarrassed to be completely naked in front of him.

"I just need a minute, okay? It's nothing personal. Chill."

He kept walking away from her and closed the door behind him. Slightly wounded, Marron hopped off of the couch and headed into the master suite bathroom. She flipped on the light switch and gasped when the light touched the massive bathtub and spa-like shower. The floor was a gorgeous white marble that crept onto the walls and led to a ceiling lit with spot lights.

She walked to the sink and turned on the cold water. She stared at the white bowl that sat on top of the counter. She was not accustomed to such fancy sinks. She stared up at her reflection in the mirror and shuddered.

Bruises were already beginning to form and her hips and her sides. Her leg was also bruised. She looked around her neck and collar bone and found several hickies. _Great_, she thought, just what she needed. Marron was no stranger to sex with a saiyan, but this was borderline ridiculous.

She turned around and headed into a fancy, brown-tiled shower with a rounded glass door. She let the warm water run over her and closed her eyes. Was this all just a dream? She let her hands run down her sides and shivered. Her nerves were still on end from Trunks' passionate love making. She breathed in deeply. Why hadn't he wanted to shower with her? Goten loved showering together after sex. Was he embarrassed? She suddenly felt bad for pouting about it.

Trunks was a very private person. She knew that. She would have to get used to subtle differences between him and his best friend. They were two different people. Being half saiyan did not mean they would be anything alike. She couldn't believe she'd allowed herself to think anything different.

The next day, Marron woke alone an empty bed. She reached over and felt where Trunks had been sleeping. It was still warm. She sat up slowly and stared out the window. The sun was just coming up. She heard a rustle from the closet and saw Trunks in front of her tying his silver tie.

"Morning beautiful." He said happily.

"Morning..." Marron grumbled back.

"Listen…about last night…" Trunks began.

"Hey, you don't have to explain yourself." Marron said, secretly hoping he would.

"Yeah…okay…"

Trunks turned around and finished tying his tie. She watched him curiously, but he never said another word. Whatever it was that caused him to withdraw so suddenly the night before would likely stay locked away forever. She wasn't sure she could actually accept that, but from that morning on, Trunks stayed in America with her. Despite her fears, he was so drunk-in-love with the very idea of her that Marron had no issues getting him to take her along on all of his various trips across the states. They went to Los Angeles, San Fransisco, Las Vegas, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago and then back to New York in six weeks. His business appeared to be booming in America, but she knew their tour would come to an end soon.

One night, a loud ring woke Trunks from a deep sleep and brought him straight up from his warm pillow. He looked around, dazed and confused from a night of drinking and partying on the town but ignored the phone. His hotel room was dimly lit from the small opening in the curtains that hung over a large window making it hard to see much. He admired the moonlight that beamed into the window and onto the plush carpet that lined the expensive suite for a moment through squinted, tired eyes. When his cellphone stopped ringing, Trunks groaned and rolled out of bed. He'd been startled wide awake.

He slipped on the complimentary overstuffed slippers and covered his muscular build with the silk robe that had been thrown in a mashed up pile on the floor. He dragged his feet over to the window and stood there, staring out at the bustling city. The small digital clock on the table glowed a bright four AM. Nothing ever sleeps in New York City, he thought.

He pressed his forehead against the window, thinking about his life in Japan and how he never wanted to go back. This place was heaven. Though he missed his friends and his family, the job was certainly easier and more profitable from afar. He had enough money to continue hotel-hopping for as long as he wanted. Perhaps he could even stay in America for good.

Unwillingly, Trunks began to search around for his clothes. The alarm on his phone was a reminder to wake up for the video conference meeting with Japan. It was an important one at that. The partnership with America was a long time coming, but his mother never quite had the patience to deal with American vendors and corporate douchebags. Trunks on the other hand could be quite intimidating when he wanted to be. He chocked that all up to his father's royal attitude. Because of his tour, the company was now poised to absorb seven American companies and their stocks as well.

"Trunks?" A sleepy voice said with a yawn, "What are you doing? It's four in the morning…"

Trunks sighed, "I know. I have a meeting. I'll just be right out here, it's a video conference with Japan."

Trunks found his best suit jacket in the closet and threw it over a random shirt he'd plucked from a pile on the floor. His favorite black tie hung on top of the jacket and with little effort was tied and ready in an instant. He checked his hair in the full length closet mirror, pushing it around and running his fingers through it. He figured since the video was only chest up that pants were not necessary. He stood there in his boxers, posing and thinking about his approach to these particular executives when he heard her soft footsteps approaching him.

"I'm sorry that I woke you up…" He said, looking down at his tie and straightening it.

"It's okay…just kiss me." She said.

He turned his head and smiled at Marron, who was standing in the doorway with a hot pink, silk robe tied loosely shut at the waist.

"It's been a while since you've done anything work related…"

Marron slinked forward and put her arms around Trunks' neck. He peered up and read four fifteen on the clock.

"Well…I've still got fifteen minutes…"

Marron smirked and tackled him to the ground.

Fifteen minutes later, Trunks slammed his laptop down and turned on the webcam, ready to present his case to the board of execs back home. He ran his fingers through his silky purple hair again and straightened his tie, but figured that he'd look somewhat less put together than he would have before his closet romp just minutes earlier anyways. Some kind of corporate president he was, thought a very preoccupied Trunks.

At four thirty sharp, the video popped on to display a table with seven men seated in suits and ties. They seemed tired and weary, not sure of the position Trunks was about to put the company into. He greeted them cheerfully and dove into his presentation. The power point he'd prepared on his computer moved along smoothly, with his words as convincing as ever. When he'd finished, one man seemed unfazed by the lengthy explanation.

"So…you've been in a foreign country for six weeks with nothing to show but all of this? You'll anger our sponsors in Europe. They don't want a bunch of American companies dropping them when they find out that we've scooped up a huge portion of their business!"

The man stood in anger and waved his hands around emotionally. The other men around the table began to agree and Trunks felt the group leaning towards the animated man.

"What is your name sir?" Trunks asked politely.

"I am Nobu Hitake. I am your second in command, sir…we've worked together for years."

Trunks rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes…I knew that…Listen, I'm not prepared to come back to Japan yet. However, I think you're mistaken about what I'm accomplishing here…"

The men began to speak amongst themselves and Nobu frowned angrily.

"You need to get back here or I'm getting rid of your useless assistant!"

Trunks cleared his throat.

"You are in no position to fire nor to judge my personal assistant."

Nobu smiled, "Oh but I am. You are not all powerful. You're just like your mother!"

Trunks stood up with the laptop in hand, "I am the president of Capsule Corporation! If you don't like it, go work for another company, but I guarantee you that I'll just buy it and fire you all over again!"

The men became silent, fearing for their own jobs, but Nobu stayed standing and leaned forward towards the camera.

"Fine, I'll rest my case regarding the company…but if you're not back here to do your job in two days…I'm firing half of your useless staff, including your bone-headed brother-in-law!"

The camera cut off and Trunks stood silently. Marron came around the corner and sighed.

"Trunks…I think you might have to go back..."

He looked up to protest but she held out a hand, "I mean to check on everything. Bra's pregnant…this is happening…go back and take care of it. I'll be fine here."

Trunks smiled.

"Will you come with me?"

"I…uh…well…"

Trunks motioned for her to approach him.

"Please...?"

His blue eyes begged helplessly.

"I don't want to live there anymore..."

"Not to live…just a visit. Then we'll come back. Maybe we'll go to Hawaii?" Trunks smirked.

Marron gave into him and hugged him tightly around the waist.

The next morning, Trunks sat anxiously on his private jet. He knew that he had to go home, but he was having such a fantastic time with Marron that it seemed a real shame to leave this new life. He checked his watch and decided that for the next thirteen hours he would try to get as much sleep as possible. Marron hadn't been letting him sleep all that much lately, thought that wasn't a bad thing in his mind.

Next to him, Marron curled up with a book and sat quietly listening to her music with earbuds. He had no idea what everyone was up to as it only had just occurred to him that he hadn't called anyone but his mother in the six-week adventure. Clearly some of his friends, namely Goten, would probably be a little more than peeved at his lack of communication skills.


	9. Chapter 9

I'm home!"

Trunks called as he eagerly stepped over the threshold of his parents' lavish home. He kicked off his shoes one by one on the small landing by the door and slid his feet into slippers. Behind him, Marron crept inside quietly and did the same. She hung up her pink overcoat on the coat hanger and took a quick look around.

"It's been a while…" She whispered.

Trunks suddenly felt a little uneasy in the cold and quiet house. All of the lights were out aside from the kitchen light, which meant Vegeta must be eating.

"Give me your bag." Trunks said, motioning towards Marron.

Through the dead silence, Trunks dragged his oversized suitcase into the foyer with Marron's and set them loudly on the floor.

"Would you keep it down out there!" A surly voice called from the kitchen, "I'm concentrating in here!"

"Sorry, dad!" Trunks hollered."

He pushed the suitcases out of the way and headed towards the single light to greet Vegeta.

Sure enough, his father was sitting at the kitchen island on a large, black barstool. Surprisingly, he was reading something on a tablet. He shoveled cereal into his mouth as he tried to focus on the tiny letters dancing across the bright screen. Trunks moved closer carefully, knowing that his father wasn't one for small talk or pleasantries.

"Dad…" Trunks began nervously.

Vegeta sighed and put down his tablet and spoon. He looked up towards Trunks angrily.

"What is so important that you have to interrupt me, boy?"

Trunks started laughing. Vegeta blushed bright red and tore his thick, black reading glasses from his face.

"So…age catching up to you, dad?" Trunks joked.

Vegeta scowled, "They were your mother's idea! I don't need them!"

Trunks rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, okay, dad. So uh…where _is_ everyone?"

Vegeta smirked, "Do you have time for an explanation before you run off with that woman again?"

Trunks blushed and turned around to see Marron peeking around the corner from the hallway. Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"I can't believe that you wasted so much time in a foreign country on 'business' when you could have been here training…you disappoint me, son…"

Vegeta began to mumble angrily under his breath, shoving his glasses back into a little black pouch. Unabashed, Trunks pulled up a bar stool and sat next to his father happily, motioning for Marron to join them. Vegeta watched the nervous blonde enter the room with an angry frown on his face. Trunks knew that Vegeta never liked Marron in general, but he was determined to fix that. When she hopped up onto her own barstool, she leaned on Trunks and clung to his arm.

"Well dad…are you going to tell me where everyone is or what?" Trunks asked, putting his arm around Marron's shoulders just to bother Vegeta further.

Vegeta sighed. He jumped down from his seat and placed his cereal bowl in the sink before returning to the barstool and gathering his thoughts carefully. His muscles had gotten so big that even sitting caused some problems with his clothes stretching at the seams. A small tear appeared in one of his sleeves, but he didn't notice.

"It's that little brat of Kakarott's. She's really done it this time." Vegeta smirked.

Trunks cut him off and leaned forward, "_Pan_? What happened to Pan?"

Vegeta slammed his hand on the table, imitating his son, "Don't interrupt the prince of all saiyans!"

Trunks frowned, "Sorry…"

Vegeta cleared his throat and continued.

"Supposedly, she befriended Tarble. He's been trying to trigger his super saiyan transformation but he continuously fails…he knew that he couldn't do it alone, yet he was too stupid to ask me. Instead he convinced that little brat to train with him in the new hyperbolic chamber."

Trunks' eyes widened.

"Wh-what…but it wasn't finished…it was still in an experimental state…mom hadn't even come close to breaking the code for the dimension splicing!"

Vegeta shrugged, "Apparently Tarble already had experience with that technology on his pathetic little robot planet. Something went wrong, though…the girl has been stuck in there for a good while."

Trunks gasped in complete shock. He pulled his arm away from Marron's shoulders and hopped off of the chair.

"Wait…how long has she been inside of that thing then?"

Vegeta grumbled, "Do I look like I'm the keeper of all time?"

Trunks ran out of the kitchen, leaving Marron sitting alone with Vegeta. She nervously glanced towards him and caught his gaze.

"Leave, woman." Vegeta said nonchalantly, reaching into the pouch and taking his glasses back out.

Marron scurried away feeling humiliated. Perhaps coming back with Trunks was indeed a horrible idea. It seemed things were just as dramatic as ever.

She followed Trunks through a door in the hallway that led down several flights of creepy-looking stairs. When they reached the bottom, Trunks slammed an open hand against a metal box hanging on the wall. When the red light turned green above the door, he barged inside like a crazy man.

"Mom! Where's Pan?" Trunks gasped frantically.

"Trunks?" Everyone in the room shouted in unison.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm back, now talk to me! How can I help?" Trunks dismissed desperately.

Before he got a chance to scan the faces in front of him, he was on the ground and felt the sting of being punched straight in the nose. He flew against a metal wall and dented it inwards.

"Ow! What the hell?"

He rubbed his face and gradually opened his eyes to see a furious Goten standing over him.

"Where the hell do you get off coming in here acting like you're going to save the fuckin day when we haven't seen you in months?"

"Goten!" Chichi shouted, taking a worried Marron over to the little crowd of people in the laboratory.

Trunks noticed Bra standing by Goten's side with her arms crossed. Her belly was huge, protruding out of her usually small frame. He felt like laughing at her, but it probably wasn't the best idea at the moment.

"Bro…relax. I'm sorry, alright?"

"And now you come back with _her_ again? You never learn, do you?" Goten growled in an angry whisper, motioning towards Marron.

"Please quiet down…I've almost reconfigured the vortex core…"

Tarble was standing with Bulma in front of the chamber door and typing on a tiny projected keyboard with safety goggles on and a long lab coat. Trunks ran his fingers through his lavender hair and scoffed.

"This is my house and I'll talk if I damn well please. Look, Goten…I've been away on serious business. Honestly. Marron lives in New York with her mom now so we met up…I told her I wanted to come home, so she wanted to visit. It's that simple. She's on a plane back to the US in a few days. Chill."

Goten knew Trunks better than anyone. He could tell that Trunks was lying through his teeth. Bra's angry eyes burned into her brother and flickered between blue and pink.

"What…is with your eyes?" Trunks gasped, pointing to Bra.

Bulma looked up from blowtorching and lifted her mask from her face.

"Goten…she needs to calm down before Trunks gets himself hurt. Take her upstairs and give her the medication, please."

Goten let out a large sigh and nudged Bra past Trunks. Trunks smirked. He felt a little proud of his tough sister. She was really holding her own lately, though he still couldn't believe how pregnant she looked. It was a look he'd never imagined on her.

When Goten and Bra closed the door behind them, Trunks turned around to see Marron hugging a sobbing Videl and Chichi. Gohan stood facing away from them, clearly worried sick, with Goku trying his best to calm his son down. Trunks was surprised to see the entire Son clan in one place.

"How long has it been?" He asked the group.

Goku turned around and sighed.

"It's been five days now…five years on the inside."

Trunks felt sick. Five years? Alone?

"There!" Tarble shouted.

A crack formed in the chamber door. The group all stood in anticipation, but a powerful vibration shook the group to their knees. Bulma rushed to a meter at the side of the door, checking the meters.

"I think you did it, Tarble…I think it's going to open!"

Videl stood up, but Gohan pulled her into his arms protectively.

"Wait…we don't know what's going to come out of there!"

Trunks made a strange face at Gohan, "Pan? Was someone else in there? I thought it was just her…"

Bulma sighed loudly.

"This chamber is different. It generates different terrains that mimic real life. There are animals…all kinds of things that could come through this door if they aren't near and ready to come out. The good news is that there is a self-sustaining home there, too. She had food and shelter the entire time."

Trunks shook his head, "What the hell would you _build_ that for?"

Bulma placed her hands on her hips, "I was only building what your _father_ asked for! It imitates all of the original surface activity of planet Vegeta! I just…added a few things…"

"You added a death trap, Bulma! I had no idea that I couldn't calibrate the time vortex to the correct function…I can't stand this! I've got to go in. What if something happened?" Tarble contemplated.

"What? No, don't go in there! If the door opens, then we'll have Pan back! If you go in, couldn't it start the whole thing over?" Videl shouted.

Trunks nodded and worried for Pan. She wasn't even a super saiyan, let alone used to training in ten times that of Earth's gravity at all times of the day and night.

Another crack formed, revealing a red light from within the chamber. Tarble and Bulma both began to panic.

"This isn't good!" Tarble shouted.

"Tarble, fix it then!" Gohan demanded, standing up and pointing, "This is your fault!"

"It's just not that simple!" Tarble shouted back.

Bulma began to furiously type away at the keyboard controls, but the gauges were overheating and out of control.

"This thing is gonna blow…what the hell is going on in there?"

Tarble stood up straight and placed a hand on the door. He briefly looked back at everyone.

"I'm sorry…this is all my fault…I'm going to rescue her…"

Trunks watched Tarble's hand tighten around the large, golden doorknob. The door yanked open. Everyone screamed in horror. A sort of swirling vortex was spinning inside. The flash of black and red made Trunks feel sick. It was terrifying.

Tarble fearlessly jumped inside of the vortex and disappeared almost instantly. The group stayed silent, waiting for something to happen, but the spinning simply continued. Should they shut the door behind him? He hadn't specified before jumping to his imminent death.

"W-what should we do?" Videl gasped.

"I don't know…" Chichi answered in a shaky voice.

"Close the damn thing!" Trunks shouted, "What if something comes out of there...like Gohan said?"

"We want something to come out of there, Trunks! We want Pan and Tarble to be able to get back out!" Videl scolded.

The vortex began to change. The swirls of black and red began to spin faster and faster until it became a black hole. Shocks of electricity ran through the blackness and sparked. A single spark flew out into the lab and landed near a tank of flammable liquids. Trunks panicked.

"Get back!" Goku shouted, jumping in front of everyone.

"What's happening?" Marron screeched, clutching Chichi and Videl tightly.

Gohan grabbed Videl and flew to the opposite site of the lab in the blink of an eye. Trunks barely made it to his mother, Marron and Chichi before it was too late. They could hear a voice from inside of the chamber begin to shout loudly. The electricity was intensifying, as though it was trying to push its way through the vortex.

"Ka...Me…Ha…Me…."

Trunks and Gohan stood protectively in front of the women while Goku stepped directly in front of the portal. He slowly raised his hands like he was going to catch something. Everyone held their breath.

"HA!"

A blast of white light burst through the black hole and shot into the lab. Goku caught the energy and held it just long enough to press two fingers onto his forehead. In a split second he was gone with the entire energy blast. The vortex had stopped spinning, revealing a figure flying straight for the exit. It was glowing yellow and white, shocking the air around it with electrical charges. The closer it got to the doorway, the more visible it became. Videl ran desperately towards the chamber door and stood just in front of the blackness.

"P-Pan?"

A woman in shredded clothing and spikey, golden hair landed on the floor of the lab. Her face was thin, sinking in at her cheeks. Her green eyes glowed above the shadows that decorated her cheeks and illuminated her bloody battle wounds. She was lean and built, angry, but still very much the face that Trunks remembered seeing only six short weeks earlier.

"Mom?…"

Her voice was low and hoarse. She'd clearly reached an ascended super saiyan form, but finding out just how far she'd pushed herself would have to wait. Videl ran forward and hugged her daughter as tightly as she could. A tattered Pan instantly transformed back into her normal form and wrapped her bruised arms around her mother's shaking body. Her spikey hair dropped into flowing, black locks that hung to her knees. Gohan ran over and joined in on the hug. Trunks smiled. Thank goodness she was okay.

Seemingly unaffected, Bulma edged forward and avoided Pan. She looked into the nothingness that Pan had emerged from and turned a bit pale. She was obviously worried.

"Pan…where is he?"

Pan turned to Bulma and frowned.

"Where is who?"

Trunks felt a cold chill run down his spine. Vegeta and Goten had burst into the lab now, both alerted by the spike of energy. They stared in disbelief. Vegeta looked around the room in a panic and balled up his fists.

"Where in the hell is Tarble?" Vegeta exclaimed angrily towards everyone in the room.

Pan looked up weakly, "I-I never saw Tarble in there…I never saw…anyone…"

Videl burst into tears and squeezed her daughter even harder.

Vegeta rushed forward and pushed Bulma away from the black hole beyond the heavy door. He stared into the nothingness, panting heavily and terrified.

"Do you think…Tarble…is he dead? I can't believe you let that idiot go in there!"

He glared at Bulma for answers, but she looked just as confused as everyone else. Trunks came forward and placed a hand on his father's shoulder, but Vegeta shook him off with an angry scoff.

"_You_ can't go inside too, Vegeta! He has to come back on his own!" Bulma said sternly.

Vegeta stomped a foot and called out into the doorway, "Dammit…Tarble! Get your ass out here! Alive!"

Silence filled their ears. Trunks felt his heart begin to pull. Maybe Tarble didn't make it.

"Tarble!" Vegeta howled again angrily.

Just as they began to give up hope, the black hole began to swirl slowly again. The red and black flashed to a new mixture of colors that appeared unstable. Bulma ran over to the controls and began typing furiously again.

"I've…I've got it!" Bulma shouted, "He's alive!"

Bulma hit a large, red button on the side of the machine. A low rumble began to shake the floor. Soon, the vortex began to spin out of control. Vegeta suddenly flew backwards.

"Destroy it! Now!" Gohan shouted.

Trunks took aim. He looked at his mother, who sadly nodded.

"Galick…GUN!"

The machine blew to pieces. Debris flew in all directions, but Trunks felt a huge wave of relief wash over him. He turned around to face everyone, but they were all staring at Vegeta. He was holding someone in his arms.

"T-Tarble!" Vegeta shouted, "Tarble!"

The group gasped. Vegeta dropped Tarble onto the ground and began pumping his chest in intervals desperately.

"You…blasted…idiot!"

After a few tense minutes, and Goku reappearing in the background, Tarble coughed and gasped for air. Vegeta sat him up and exhaled with complete relief. He'd been seriously worried for his brother; which Trunks took as a surprise to everyone.

"For those few minutes there…I thought you were really dead!" Pan shouted, shaking off her mother and running to Tarble's side on the ground.

Tarble smiled back at her, "Don't worry, I'm alive…I feel really strange, though…My voice is different, too, isn't it?"

Tarble rose to his feet. They stared at each other for a moment. Trunks couldn't believe his eyes.

"What…happened to you?" Pan gasped.

He looked down at himself and shrugged.

"I don't remember anything but darkness…I must've been thrown into a separate dimension. I've…I've changed…"

"You look like a kid!" Goten exclaimed, "You're like…Pan's age now!"

"No, I'm twenty now…Five years?" Pan growled.

"Thank goodness you're safe, though!" Marron said happily.

Pan glared at her. She looked angry all of a sudden. Trunks scooted closer to Marron protectively."

"Uh…I'm…glad to see you, too?" Marron shrugged, looking a bit confused.

In the most theatrical fashion, Pan spun around and ran out of the lab and up the stairs. Videl and Chichi ran after her, followed by Gohan and Goku, but the rest of them stayed behind. They continued staring at Tarble, who simply stood there smiling.

_What the hell had Trunks come home to?_


	10. Chapter 10

As the saying goes, you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family. Some of the biggest conflicts in history started amongst family or several families feuding back and forth. Sometimes a simple disagreement can ripple outwards for years and tear apart bonds for generations. Luckily for most people, it's easy to tell who your true friends are because they are, in fact, your family.

Unfortunately for Pan however, it was unclear who her true family was at the moment.

The night she emerged from the chamber, the Capsule Corp household was completely overcome with mixed emotions. She looked to her right and saw Bulma and Chichi standing in the kitchen over hot pans and steaming pots. Neither of them spoke a word to one another, but it seemed that they were communicating without using their voices. To her left, Goku and Vegeta also sat in total silence. Goku was staring into space with a typical, vacant expression while Vegeta squinted at his tablet. He couldn't be caught dead wearing his glasses in front of his rival.

Tired of the silence, Pan got up from her chair and headed into the kitchen calmly. She plugged her phone into a charger that hung near the microwave. She let the phone sit on the counter and turned around quickly, but she knocked a large glass of water over. It shattered onto the floor and spilled water everywhere.

"Dammit, girl!" Vegeta shouted.

"I'm so sorry!" Pan pleaded, bending down to pick up the pieces.

The room fell silent again. It was as though everyone was angry with her, but she was happy to be twenty. She was living the teen-aged dream; Waking up a fifteen-year-old in school with no end in sight and five days later becoming a twenty-year-old super saiyan. Her dreams had come true.

"Pan…how did you achieve super saiyan form? Ascended even…it's incredible." Goku asked, startling those around him from their silent thoughts.

Pan was relieved to hear _someone_ was curious instead of angry.

"I…trained really hard…just like you always taught me, grandpa." Pan shrugged.

"But how? What triggered it? Was it because you were sad to be alone?" Goku asked innocently, leaning forward in his chair and resting his elbows on the table.

Pan looked down at her feet. She remembered that she was angry that day. She was angry that no one was there with her and that there was no one to talk to. She began talking to the trees and the fake animals that inhabited the world around her to keep from going crazy. Maybe she was crazy already. Things were looking bleak.

About a year and a half in, a huge monster-like animal presented himself. It towered over Pan and continuously tried to kill her. The scariest part of the entire ordeal was that she almost let it. She wanted things to be over so she wasn't alone anymore. Had she known that Tarble would be ripped away from her the second they closed the door, she never would have agreed.

She laid on the ground, taking each hit with devastating force. Its claws were tearing into her flesh, sending blood flying everywhere. She screamed, but no one could hear her. She fought, but he was stronger. She felt herself near death. What was there to live for? She closed her eyes and prepared for death. Then she saw him.

Trunks' face was smiling back at her as they ran through a field. He was holding her hand and laughing. They were together. She felt the warmth of love filling her body. She was complete.

Another blow shocked her back to life. She looked up into the monster's mouth at his razor sharp teeth and realized that dying wasn't an option. Dying would only prevent her brief vision from becoming a reality. Beating this monster meant a chance, however small, for Trunks to fall in love with her.

"Pan?"

She inhaled sharply and looked up at Goku. Everyone was staring at her. She realized she'd gone silent instead of answering Goku's question.

"It was a life or death situation. I chose life. Simple as that." Pan admitted.

"Aw, I thought it would be more interesting than that!" Goku complained.

"Dinner's ready." Chichi said sternly, cutting the conversation short.

Embarrassed, Pan turned around and headed into the hallway. She didn't feel like eating. The fresh memories were burned into her mind's eye anyway. She needed to find something to take her mind off of everything.

"Ow!"

Pan rubbed her forehead. She opened her eyes and found Tarble doing the same on the floor in front of her.

"I'm terribly sorry, Pan…I wasn't paying attention."

Tarble's face looked so young. He rubbed his head and lowered his hand, revealing his sweet, innocent smile.

"It's…it's okay. Are you okay?" Pan replied nervously.

"I'm just fine now." He answered, beaming at her.

Pan felt a strange jolt inside of her. He was so cute. She shook her head and rushed away. She had to stay focused. A great big mark on her forehead wasn't going to aid in Trunks falling for her new look. Perhaps should could find some of Bra's makeup to cover it with.

As she rushed down the hall, she peeked over her shoulder. Tarble was heading into the dining room casually, but just as she was about to turn back around, he too peered over his shoulder. They locked eyes. Pan felt her heart jump like a startled cat and rushed into the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her and took a deep breath.

"What the _hell_…" She whispered to herself.

At the dining room table, Bulma sat across from a chatty Tarble and frowned. He noticed her expression and sat down his utensils.

"What's the matter, sis?"

Bulma cringed at the idea of her brother-in-law now resembling a teenager. She had never felt so old in her life. Even the idea of being a grandmother wasn't as bad as staring into the eyes of a teenage Vegeta look-a-like.

"I just don't get it, Tarble." She breathed flatly.

Tarble smiled, "I don't really understand it, either…but I have a theory."

"Oh?"

Bulma's tone went from despairing to hopeful in an instant. Vegeta took a sip of Bulma's expensive sake and cleared his throat.

"Don't think too hard, Tarble. I think she is more interested in setting the clock on her age a few years back than she is about your scientific theories…"

Bulma slapped his arm, but the previously depressed and silent table erupted in laughter. Bulma sulked against the back of her chair as Chichi patted her shoulder for comfort. She sighed loudly.

"I'm not saying that it wouldn't be fantastic to be younger again, but I really do want to know what caused your transformation...I've spent months trying to configure the chamber to _stop_ aging. It was supposed to provide training with no age effect. Now, Pan is five years older and you are…what…sixteen?"

Tarble swallowed a bite of food before he interlaced his fingers on top of the solid oak table. It was clear that his saiyan customs and royal gestures were still intact after all of this time away from people. Everyone stared at him and dangled in suspense as he appeared to prepare his answer.

"Let me explain a few things to you all. My father, King Vegeta, sent me away when I was young…I was shown to be scrawny and weak compared to the other infants, instantly classifying me as a lower class saiyan instead of royalty...It was quite the scandal…seeing as Vegeta was born with so much potential. I was an abomination to the King and Queen."

Vegeta shifted uneasily in his chair, but held his chin up with pride as though to agree with his brother. Goku shot Vegeta a resentful glare.

"Instead of forcing me to work among the peasants, or other lower-class saiyans, my father sent me away as though I'd never been born. He sent me to a planet full of weak creatures with the hope that I could still conquer a world for myself when the time was right…What my parents failed to see was my potential intellectual talents."

Vegeta interjected, a bit offended.

"You were very young, Tarble. They did as any upper-class saiyan would have done in the face of such a situation. It was the way things were done."

"You're saying you would send Trunks or Bra away to another planet if they were born with some kind of…of problem? What the _hell_, Vegeta?" Bulma exclaimed.

"Please understand, Bulma…our culture is very different from yours. In any case, on my new planet I was adopted by a couple that raised me to be extraordinary. Fortunately for my weak stature, they also raised me in the complete absence of violence. I have manners, decency…everything because of them."

Vegeta's eyes grew wary as Tarble continued about his adoptive parents. Goku relaxed and smiled. He identified with Tarble a great deal. Though he was never weak, he lived through a similar experience. The only difference was that his Grandpa Gohan wasn't the brightest crayon in the box and also passed _that_ on to Goku.

Goku looked over to Vegeta again and sighed. Vegeta was certainly not ashamed of his royal heritage. He was very proud to have been raised on such barbaric standards, but the life that Tarble had was just as rewarding as Goku's. He decided that getting to know Tarble was definitely something he wanted to pursue.

Goten arrived at the table and sat down with a plop. He was dressed in a tattered sweater and a black beanie, which complimented his black skinny jeans and vans sneakers. Chichi groaned at his choice of attire, but served him a plate of food regardless. Vegeta looked across the table at Goten and frowned.

"Where's Bra?" Bulma asked.

"She's sleeping. Too much excitement for one day, I think." Goten shrugged.

"She should have more strength than that. Are you sure you are giving her the proper medications?" Vegeta asked.

Goten gave him a disgusted look and paused before continuing sarcastically.

"Yes, sir. She's _just_ fine." He nodded towards Tarble, "Can you pass that, bro?"

"Goten! Manners!" Chichi snapped.

"Damn, okay. Can you please pass that?" Goten grumbled.

"_Goten_…" Gohan warned.

"_What the hell? _Why is everyone on my ass? I'll just go out and get something then!"

Unaffected by Goten's statements, Vegeta rose up from the table and stomped into the kitchen. He realized this might be his only opportunity and got up awkwardly.

He entered the kitchen that was separated by only a small, half-wall from the dining area. Vegeta was opening a tub of ice cream when he entered.

"Yo…uh…I told you. I'm gonna take care of Bra. It's not like cussing has bothered you before…"

Vegeta frowned and ignored him.

"Look…I know that you hate me because of my father. I'm trying really hard to prove that I am not him. I love your daughter and I'm a completely different kind of man."

Vegeta crammed the ice cream scoop into the tub and looked up at Goten with a classic, angry saiyan face.

"I don't care what your intentions are, boy. Why are you talking to me?"

He returned to scooping and plopping the ice cream on small, yellow plates.

Goten continued warily, "I thought you got up because you were mad at me or something…"

Vegeta continued to ignore him. Goten gathered all of his strength and decided now was the time. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. Vegeta stopped scooping ice cream and stared at the box in Goten's palm. Goten glanced over his shoulder and saw that the table had continued with their discussions.

"Uh, Vegeta…I want to marry Bra. I want to ask for your permission before I ask her...I know I'm not really that familiar with saiyan customs, but here it is pretty important to have the blessing of the father before you propose to the girl…"

"Okay." Vegeta said flatly.

"Okay?" Goten asked.

"Go on, then. Do it." Vegeta said, nodding towards the table.

Bra had entered the dining room and was wobbling her way to a seat beside Videl.

Goten panicked, "_Right now?"_

Vegeta looked surprised.

"Why would you waste my time if you weren't planning on taking care of this now?"

Goten gulped, "Okay…I have it…I'll…I'll do it."

Back in the dining room, Tarble took a sip of sake and continued his story.

"I was part of an elite experimental science group that pioneered a new type of space technology. It wouldn't make much sense to those of you who have only lived on Earth, but it is quite remarkable. In any case, that technology was transferable to the contraption down there that you call a hyperbolic time chamber."

Bulma's jaw dropped. She began spouting off questions like crazy, but was interrupted when Vegeta sat down and patted her on the leg. She looked at him and then realized that Goten was standing behind Bra's chair awkwardly. He clapped his hands together.

"Can I have everyone's attention?"

The table fell silent and stared up at Goten. He looked at his father and mother, who seemed the most confused by his announcement. He turned his gaze to Bra.

His whole life he'd been surrounded by families that loved each other through thick and thin, even if Goku was off being a hero for the majority of it. He was grateful that even with Goku's strange tendencies and heroic antics that his mother continued to love him no matter what. He drew strength from that and knew that he wanted to be a husband that loved his wife through the hardest of times. Nothing to could break them apart.

"I have an announcement to make…"

Bra raised her eye brows and looked up at her tall boyfriend. He placed a hand on her belly as the baby within her kicked happily.

"I guess I want to take a second and apologize to my family for being so angry for so many years…I am really and truly grateful to have you all in my life. You've shown me that no matter what, a family sticks together."

Chichi smiled and leaned her head on Goku, who gave Goten a thumbs up.

"I want to also thank the other half of my family here…the ones who have constantly supported us and given us a lasting friendship that we couldn't live without. I've been doing a lot of thinking. I feel like…being a family doesn't always mean sharing blood. I think you can be a family just by loving one another and being a source of light in dark times."

Bulma took Vegeta's hand and squeezed it. He noticed that Pan was now peeking around the wall from the hallway and listening as well.

"I…I think it's only fitting at this point…now that Pan and Tarble are back safely and Trunks is back home…that our families become one…"

He kneeled down in front of Bra.

"I know that some people may think that I'm only doing this because we have a little girl on the way…but it's so much more than that…you are the only woman that I will ever love like this. I am completely and totally devoted to you from this day forward."

He reached in his pocket and pulled out the small box he'd shown to Vegeta only seconds earlier. Bra's big eyes sparkled with excitement as her mouth dropped open.

He popped the box open to reveal a diamond ring fit for a queen. In the center, a large diamond shined brightly against the dining room chandelier. The large diamond was surrounded by several smaller diamonds that cascaded in a spiral to the base of the ring.

Bra's eyes filled with tears, as did all of the other women in the room, including Pan.

"Bra Brief…I love you more than anything in the world. Will you marry me?"

Bra gasped. Tears overflowed from her eyes and streamed down her cheeks.

"Yes!"

The table erupted with applause and shouts of happiness. Goten stood up clumsily just as she lunged forward and clung to his neck. He picked her up and swung her around gently, holding her close and kissing her hair. It seemed that everyone was overjoyed. Everyone but the small, blonde girl now standing in the doorway beside a particularly confused, purple-haired man.

Marron's face was full of hate and despair. She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. She hit the side button, lighting it up.

"My mom is calling…I'm gonna go talk to her in another room. Tell Bra that I said congrats." She whispered.

Marron turned and rushed away from the festivities, bumping into Pan. Trunks stood with his mouth hanging open, watching her run for the hallway. He knew then that the dream life he'd been living for six weeks, thinking that Marron was actually over Goten and wanted him alone, was a complete lie. He looked back to his sister who was smiling and crying with joy, staring up at Goten with love in her eyes. Why couldn't Marron look at him that way? What was it about Goten that made women so head-over-heels in love with him?

After a happy dessert and several drinks, Trunks sauntered outside and sat in the grass of their front lawn. He left Marron inside to chat with Chichi after she rejoined the party, hoping for some silence from an insane night and from the negative feelings he was harboring for her at the moment. He dropped backwards onto the ground and felt the cool grass tickle his face. The sky above was black and filled with sparkling stars. His thoughts trailed off to the life that Tarble must have lived on that alien planet with no one who looked even remotely like him. At least he fit in because of his mind. Trunks would never have been able to adapt.

He frowned. He supposed that Goten would be able to adapt to such intelligence, just like he always had. Trunks felt like he'd never get any smarter. The knowledge that he'd accumulated in college and through his professional career was the extent of it all. He'd reached his limit.

Goten's expression when Trunks entered the basement tormented him. He should never have deserted his best friend for his ex, but when he spoke to Marron on the phone that night it all changed. After he confessed his love and made his case, offering to fly to America to be with Marron, she took him back and said she loved him the entire time…right? His head began to spin. If she loved Trunks, why did she act that way when Goten proposed to Bra? Did she really think that with the baby on the way that they wouldn't get engaged?

He felt an extremely heavy weight in his heart in that moment. He realized that he'd ignored his entire family and all of his friends for a woman that was playing him.

Just then, he was startled from thought by a power level he hadn't felt before approaching him. He jolted upwards drunkenly, worried that it could be a new enemy ready to sully his day even further, but instead a black-haired woman stood before him.

She swung her long, wild hair behind her back and placed one hand on her hip with confidence. He felt his already pink cheeks heat up as he looked upon her beauty. She'd changed so much. Her resemblance to Chichi was striking, but her eyes were that of a true saiyan warrior. Her skin was a pale white, clashing against her midnight hair that shined under the light of a streetlamp near the edge of the green yard. Her borrowed-from-Bra clothing clung to her bountiful chest, but he tried not to look there. He wasn't ready to see her as the adult that she so clearly had become.

"_Trunks_…"

Her sweet voice rang out and shattered his sense of security. It was like the most beautiful bell, tolling for him and only him. He melted into the idea of her, welcoming her to sit beside him and giving in to the nervous but delicious feeling of being near someone willing to give him their attention.

_What was coming over him_, he thought. Clearly he'd been drinking too much.

"I missed you so much." Pan started confidently.

He could see that her personality hadn't changed.

"I missed you, too, kiddo."

He answered unsure, afraid that he would sound weird for saying such a thing. He barely spoke to her before he left, let alone his complete absence for months without a word.

"So…why did you do this to yourself?" Trunks asked abruptly, before the tense silence filling the air between them became too great.

Pan smiled and blushed, but held her eye contact.

"I did this…all of this…for _you_."

Trunks cleared his throat and swayed a bit, beginning to feel the full effect of the strong sake he'd been enjoying all night.

"_What?_"

"I am _not_ stupid, Trunks. I kissed you that day because I knew what I wanted. I had to be sure that my heart wasn't just telling me lies. After that…I started training with Tarble. We became really good friends and he made me realize that I wasn't living for myself if I let you go."

Trunks' mouth hung open as she spoke.

"So when he said he knew a way to make me older…I took the chance. I knew you would never feel the same if I was still a stupid kid."

Trunks placed a hand over his mouth, still in shock from her honesty.

"I had no idea that you'd be back with her after what she put you through, Trunks. What are you _thinking?_ She doesn't love you…like I love you."

He tried to answer but he felt too overwhelmed to speak.

"Anyway, I'm old enough now. I want to make you happy."

Trunks started laughing awkwardly and held up a hand for her to stop talking.

"Pan…I…how do you expect me to just accept this? I grew up with you! You're…you're _ten_ _years_ younger than me!"

She raised her finger to his lips.

"I'm five years _closer_ to you now."

Trunks began to stand up but wobbled dangerously.

"Wait!" Pan begged, pulling him back down to ground with force, "Please give me a chance…"

Trunks looked outraged.

"A chance to what, Pan? I'm with Marron now and I love her. I'm not just a guy that you can be with because you want to prove to everyone that you're not a kid. You're a kid and you always will be in my eyes. I mean what the f-!"

He fell to the ground and watched the starry sky swirl above him. Again he felt the sting of a punch to the face. He felt his stomach twisting into a pile of knots.

Pan's eyes welled up with tears. She stood up from the ground with confidence and looked down at Trunks, sniffling slightly but attempting to hide her tears.

"I _will_ wait for you. I know that this must seem sudden, but I've had five years to think about how I would tell you how I feel. I've had five years to plan and plot and think that just maybe I could convince you to love me back!"

Trunks sighed, holding in a wave of nausea.

"Pan…love doesn't work that way."

Her face blushed scarlet.

"It…it can!"

"It _doesn't_…"

He started to get up, but Pan lunged forward to her knees and kissed him, knocking him back onto the grass.

Something hit Trunks at that moment, and he felt like he had to stop or something bad was surely going to happen. He pulled away from her and stared at her. She was panting, red in the face but smiling. She was blurry. _Stop it_, Trunks, he thought to himself. Someone is going to see you. His stomach turned again.

"I'm…sorry…" Pan whispered.

"This…can never…happen again…" Trunks pointed at her.

He pushed her off of him and tried to sit up. He turned away from her in just enough time to throw up on the grass beside them.

"Are you okay?" She gasped.

"_Okay?_ Am I _okay?_ What the hell do you think, Pan? I feel like I just kissed a freaking kid!"

Trunks got up abruptly and stormed into the house, slamming the door behind him.

Pan sat in the cold grass alone. She reached up to her lips and gasped. Tears began to flow. She'd waited so long for that moment. She'd wasted five years of her life for nothing. She sobbed into her hand and curled into a ball. After a few moments, she sniffled and looked up at the house. A curtain was pulled to the side slightly. She saw Tarble standing there watching her with sad eyes. He put a hand against the glass, offering his condolences, but he seemed more than just sorry for her loss. His eyes were deep with understanding and empathy.

"It's…over…" She whispered to herself.


	11. Chapter 11

Marron slinked around the corner with her cell phone in hand. She peered down at the screen reluctantly. She'd only hit the call button to look like someone was calling her, but to her surprise, her phone had been ringing all night without her noticing. She rolled her eyes and hit the name on her recent missed calls list. She dreaded talking to _him_, but like always he answered after the first ring.

"Why the hell are you calling me?" She snapped.

A short pause was interrupted by a crass snicker.

"You know…I'm really sick of your attitude. Our arrangement is not set in stone…keep it up and the deal is off…"

Marron's open mouth shut quickly. She looked up at a mirror to her right and stared at her reflection. She had to look away quickly before the next sentence left her lips.

_Who was she becoming?_

"I need a timeline Marebear…what are we lookin at?" He asked playfully._  
_  
"If I'm right, it could be any day now. They said something about a saiyan pregnancy being shorter than a human one…She looks like she's going to pop."

She heard typing on the other end, as though they were taking notes. As she waited for a response, she picked up a framed picture of Trunks and Bra that sat on top of a fancy dresser. The voice on the other end began to speak again.

"Any day, huh? I guess you have your work cut out for you. I trust then that you will continue to play your part and do your job when the time comes."

Marron exhaled, "Of course. You have my word."

She hung up the phone and placed it back into her pocket.

"_I'll show you_…" She said softly, looking down at Bra's smiling face in the picture in her hands.

She was too afraid to admit that she was in love with Trunks. Goten still had a hold of her heart…right? Marron stared down at the photo and suddenly felt like tearing it in half. A deep-seated jealousy began to take hold. Her grip tightened and her eyes narrowed.

"I _hate_ you. I hate you so much. You took _everything_ that I wanted…and now…I'll take everything from you..."

Marron was red with anger. For her entire life, she'd played the role of a classic good girl. She'd made everyone else happy and given up on her own dreams. This was her moment to take revenge on the man that ruined her world and be the hero in one fail swoop. Goten had no idea what was coming to him.

Lost in her own, secret rage, she threw the picture frame against the wall. It shattered to pieces and littered the floor with shards of glass. She tried to calm herself down by taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, but it was no use.

She plopped down on the floor and began to feel intense sadness welling up inside of her. Something hadn't felt the same in her soul since Goten left her. It only got worse when her father died. Sadness had become a way of life for Marron, but all she ever wanted was for Goten to take her back. She wanted it to go back to the way it was before any of this madness began.

Her mind began to wander back in time to a warm, summer day.

She was engaged to Goten, planning out some minor details with Chichi in the small sitting room of their quaint, country home. Eighteen was at the stove heating water for some tea.

"I can't wait to see your father's face at the wedding, Marron…"

Eighteen said happily as she watched Krillin outside through the kitchen window sparring with Goten. They always got along so well. Marron thought that this could be because Goten resembled Krillin's dear friend, Goku, so much.

"Mare! Could you grab me a water bottle, please?" Goten called towards the open window.

"Yes, dear!" Marron called.

She smiled at Chichi and hopped up to bring a cold drink to her dearly beloved.

The warm sunlight hit her shoulders as she walked outside. Goten quickly picked her up and twirled her around, kissing her on the cheek and laughing.

"Goten! I dropped the water bottle!" She laughed.

She looked down at him and saw that his face was free of worry. His hopes were still alive to become a doctor and save the world. A healthy Krillin laughed behind them, happy for his daughter. It was picture perfect.

Suddenly, her happy thoughts took a turn for the worst. She was in her room at Kame house, home alone. Goten was standing in front of her, soaking wet from the rain outside, but he couldn't speak. He was looking through her, like she didn't even exist.

"Goten…what's wrong?" Marron asked, confused that he flew all the way out to the island without calling first.

Goten hung his head low and pulled her desk chair out from the space behind him. As he sat, he placed his face into his palms and rubbed back and forth, clearly in distress.

Marron sat back onto the bed with a look of horror on her face. She knew that whatever he was going to say was going to be bad, but she never imaged how strikingly honest he would be.

"Marron…I can't do this anymore."

"Do what?" She asked on the edge of her seat.

"I don't…love you anymore." He whispered.

Marron's eyes welled with hot tears and her soul felt like it was ripped right from her chest.

She tried to respond, but her words stuck in her throat and refused to come out. She took in a short, deep breath and stared as water dripped from Goten's soaked hoodie onto the wood floor. She was panicking and felt like her head was about to explode. The man that she'd loved for so long and befriended for many years before that was about to leave and never come back. She choked back the sobs that were screaming to emerge.

"I'm sorry…we're over."

His words shattered the dreadful silence. He looked up slowly and into her eyes with all sincerity.

"I can't play this game with you anymore."

Marron stood up from her bed and spilled out her emotions. Her words toppled onto each other in a blubbering, dramatic mess. It wasn't that she was trying to be dramatic, but she certainly felt better throwing everything she had in her vocabulary at him.

"I was going to marry you! This ring meant nothing? It was supposed to mean that we belonged to each other!"

She couldn't stop her anger. She couldn't stop her rage.

It was too much for Marron to handle.

She stomped her foot and started pulling at the diamond on her finger. She wanted to throw it at him. She wanted to cause him the same amount of pain that she was feeling somehow.

_She could tell him what happened with Trunks.  
_  
Just as she was about to spill the biggest secret she'd ever kept in her life, Goten stood up abruptly.

"I can't fight with you about this. Not after everything that we've been through…We are done and that's the end of it. I'm gonna go. I won't be back."

Goten got up to leave, turning his back to Marron. She screamed at him, begged him, but it was no use. He was already in the sky again as she fell to the sopping ground of the tiny island. She watched him helplessly, screaming for the pain to stop, screaming for him to return to her.

The door to the room Marron hid in to relive her worst memories flew open. She jolted upwards from her spot on the floor.

"What the hell?" She yelled angrily.

Pan stood in the doorway staring at her with wide, concerned eyes. Marron realized quickly that her mascara wasn't water proof. Black tears were streaming down her face and staining her porcelain complexion with darkness. Her bloodshot eyes darted to the area around her where the broken glass from the picture frame decorated the hardwood floor.

"I…" She began, but couldn't think of a lie.

Pan cocked her head to one side, "Are you okay? This looks a little…crazy in here…"

Marron took a deep breath. She felt the anger inside rising to dangerous levels. She couldn't let anyone know about the gift she'd received from the boss of this entire operation. It wasn't a smart play. She lowered her guard and exhaled in defeat.

"Just leave me alone, kid." Marron sighed.

"Look…I wanted to ask you something." Pan growled, crossing her arms.

"What?" Marron snapped back, annoyed.

"Are you in love with Trunks? Like…really?" Pan asked, frowning deeply._  
_  
Marron's eyes grew large. She turned around and shot Pan a shocked expression before quickly answering, "Of course I do!"

Pan's scowl turned to a look a sadness. She hung her head low and started to turn away.

"Pan…Trunks is mine. Don't you even think about getting involved!"

Pan began to tear up. She slammed the door shut. Marron head her feet stomp down the hallway and smirked. At least she felt a little better.

As dinner passed by, things were still tense between Pan, Trunks and Marron. They exchanged dirty looks several times, causing Goten to feel on edge and curious. They made it through dessert and watched as the Son men, Vegeta and Trunks drank Sake until their hearts' content. Bulma laughed loudly at them, clearly just as inebriated. Bra was tired and headed up to her childhood bedroom. Marron waited a few minutes before heading upstairs herself. She'd had just about enough of this dinner stupidity.

Marron began searching for an empty room on the second floor to hide in and sulk. She took her time, checking each room and sitting on the different beds. The Brief household was basically a glorified hotel. When she found the perfect bed, she laid back onto it and fell into deep thought. She laid there for a long while until she began to wonder where Trunks was. Even if she was only acting as his girlfriend for the time being, it was sure nice to have his company, especially in bed.

Slowly she rose from the bed and rubbed her tired eyes. It was getting late, but she could hear some people outside. She wondered why someone went outside if they were all so drunk and content inside. Was Goten going somewhere? She quickly headed to the window for some observation.

"Oh…my…"

What she saw shocked her beyond her wildest imagination. She couldn't believe her eyes. Her heart pulled, though she couldn't understand the logic behind the feeling. She was not in love with Trunks, despite what she told Pan earlier. This much was true out of all of the lies that she told herself daily. She couldn't deny that some feelings were there, even if they were only of possession, but certainly not love.

She watched in horror as Pan pushed herself on top of Trunks, latched onto him tightly. Trunks wasn't fighting back. She couldn't watch for another second and turned around in a rage.

"How _could_ he?" Marron exclaimed, alone in her room.

Her face was red and hot, both embarrassed at the betrayal from Trunks and frustrated with her own stupidity to trust that Pan wouldn't try something. The game, in her mind, was definitely on.


	12. Chapter 12

Marron turned around and glared angrily at the bed that she was about to share with Trunks for the night. She felt an angry rage boiling up from deep within. She felt like her brain was about to burst under the pressure.

That moment, when the room seemed to be flashing red with the pulsating anger in her body, was when she finally realized what they'd done to her. The rage, the violence and the lying all tied into that one place. It was the one moment that changed her life forever.

Marron slinked down onto the floor and curled up into a shaky, pale heap of emotions. Her eyes searched the vivid memory in her mind trying to remember where she went wrong that night. She knew that if she'd just stayed in Japan, none of this would be happening.

When Marron, Eighteen and Yamcha got to America, they moved into a small house behind a rich family member's home. It was Yamcha's very elderly aunt that owned the property, but she was now being cared for by her ridiculously good-looking grandson. Marron thought that he looked familiar, but she didn't know how she could possibly know an American and dismissed the idea.

Over the next few days, it was quite clear that Yamcha and Eighteen were in over their heads with debt, mostly from Krillin's medical and funeral bills. Marron stood outside of Yamcha and Eighteen's room with wide eyes as she overheard her mother sobbing.

"Yamcha…we can't afford all of this. I am totally cleaned out. Roshi only had so much stashed away…Krillin never thought that he needed life insurance."

"Well I can see why he thought that…the man was indestructible."

"Clearly not." Eighteen began to sob again.

Marron tore herself away from their private conversation painfully. She knew that she needed to get a job. She couldn't bear to leave that full burden on her mother, not with the state of mind that plagued her. Unfortunately, Marron's teaching license was not valid in America. She had to settle for something quicker with more flexible hours until things calmed down. She never knew when Yamcha would call and tell her that Eighteen was having _another_ meltdown.

The next day, Marron woke early and headed for the mall to find a new job. She came home around noon feeling triumphant. Thanks to her charming personality and obvious, blonde pigtails, the local mall's hottest clothing store hired her on the spot. She felt like the popular girl in high school. Excited, Marron rushed down the hallway towards her mother's room to tell her the good news.

"Mom!"

Silence filled Marron's ears. She tapped softly on the door.

"Mom? You in there?"

Marron listened closely. Static silence was deafening. Her heart began to beat faster. She slowly reached down for the doorknob and turned it. With a squeak, the door opened. The bathroom door inside of the bedroom was ajar.

"Mom!" Marron called again, this time feeling as though time was standing still.

She rushed forward and grabbed the molding around the bathroom door to steady herself. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening. Her scared eyes slowly traveled across the tub, passing over the hand hanging over the edge and landing on a bloody razor blade. It sat drowning in a puddle of crimson red. A wine glass sat beside it on the rim of the tub. A pile of paper bills sat askew just outside of the tub.

"No…" Marron whispered.

Her head spun and her vision blurred. She ran towards her lifeless mother panting and panicking.

"Oh, God! You can't die, too!" Marron cried in agony.

She fell to her knees at her mother's side. In shock, she plunged her hand into the tub and pulled up the plug, letting the red water run down the drain. She reached for a towel and wrapped it around her mother's lifeless body.

Eighteen was wearing a white cocktail dress with ruffles and sequins. It hugged her hips and expanded into a princess worthy pouf above her knees. The strapless top was detailed and decorated. A large flower stood out on her right shoulder. Marron vaguely recognized the dress from photo albums. When she recalled just where she'd seen it before, tears burst forward from her sad eyes.

_It was her mother's wedding dress.  
_  
Marron pulled Eighteen up and out of the tub effortlessly. The blood was everywhere and still flowing, giving Marron hope that Eighteen was still alive. Amidst the panic, she heard the front door open and close. Yamcha must have come home early to check on Eighteen.

"Help! Help us!" Marron screamed.

The footsteps started running and entered the bedroom.

"Marron?"

Marron's heart sank a little. The voice was not Yamcha's.

"We're in here…call 1-1-9!"

The voice entered the bathroom. It was the owner of the house, Yamcha's aunt's grandson that had seemed so familiar before.

"1-1-9? You mean 9-1-1? Oh, good God! Don't move her!" He shouted, reaching for his phone and dialing with fury.

His eyes flashed between Marron, Eighteen and his phone several times before there was an answer. The tall man with shaggy, brown hair screeched details of the situation to them as he pulled several more towels out of the closet.

He crouched down to Marron's level and ripped the sleeve of his shirt off with force. Splitting it in two, he tied each one tightly around Eighteen's wrists.

"We have to stop the bleeding." He said as though he'd seen such a scene before, "She's still alive."

Marron looked down at her mother. Mascara trailed down her cheeks and her red lipstick was smeared. Eighteen must have been trying to recreate her wedding day in her mind, Marron thought.

"I'm Sean, by the way." The brown haired, blue eyed man said to Marron.

In shock and completely overwhelmed, she peered up at him briefly and squinted.

"You look a lot like this guy I used to know…"

"You've never been here before, yeah? I doubt you know me, then. I guess I just have one of those faces."

Marron felt her mother stir slightly and gasped.

"Mom? Mom, I'm here!"

"She'll be alright. I hear the sirens…she'll get through this. She's lucky that you found her."

Marron peered up at Sean and nodded. She heard several people burst through the front door. Men and women in rescue gear ran in, pushing Marron and Sean out of the way. They lifted Eighteen up and onto a long gurney before carting her outside towards one of the loudly screaming ambulances.

Marron chased them outside and heard a yell of horror. Yamcha was running onto the lawn from his car that was still on and beeping at the side of the road. One of the EMT's held up a hand to him, but Yamcha easily tossed him aside and rushed to Eighteen's side.

"This is my girlfriend! God…Is she dead? What the hell happened?"

"Yamcha!" Marron called from the front door.

"Marron, what the hell is going on?"

Marron ran into his arms and hugged him tightly. She parted with him quickly and explained what she'd walked into. His scared eyes widened.

"Excuse me, but family members can ride with us." One of the EMT's said, keeping his distance from Yamcha.

"That's them. I'll stay behind and take care of things here." Sean answered.

"Sean…thank you so much." Marron said shakily.

"It's no problem…really."

Marron smiled weakly before turning and hopping onto the ambulance with Yamcha. She tried her best to stay strong, but her memories of going to the hospital with her father were tugging on her already patched up heart.

After several hours, the doctors assured Yamcha and Marron that Eighteen would be fine. Yamcha refused to leave her side, but she needed clothes and other things. As soon as she was well enough to be moved, her actions had earned her a one-way ticket to the psych ward.

"I'll go home and get her some clothes." Marron offered.

"I can't ask you to do that…" Yamcha said sadly.

"You aren't asking. I'm offering. I'll be quick."

Marron left the hospital in a blur of emotions. She shut herself off from the world and took a taxi to the house. The lights inside were on. Sean was still there.

"Marron! I didn't expect for you to be back so soon…how's your mom?" Sean asked from the kitchen as Marron entered the front door.

"She's stable…she'll be staying there for several days though…I came to get some of her things…"

"That's probably for the best." Sean sat a glass down he'd been drying at the sink and approached her slowly, "Are you okay?"

Marron sighed and plopped down on a chair at the table. She tried to answer, but burst into tears and hid her face in her palms.

"Hey! Hey, hey…it's okay…you did everything the right way today…"

Sean rushed to her side and placed an arm around her. He smelled like fresh laundry. It reminded her of Goten and how Chichi was always doing laundry. She rose up her head and squirmed away from him.

"I didn't do _everything_ right. I shouldn't have left her alone."

"She's a grown woman, Marron."

"I know…"

Sean shrugged and sat back in the chair beside her.

"I'm not going anywhere tonight so…whatever you want to talk about is cool with me. _I'm_ not leaving _you_ alone."

Marron chuckled.

"I'm a grown woman too, though."

"Trust me. I can see that."

His warm smile and twinkling eyes caught Marron's attention. He was exactly the distraction she need from life.

"Let's talk about you, then. What's your story?" Marron asked playfully, suddenly feeling better.

"Let's see…I'm single. I live down the street to keep an eye on my grandma over here. I work at a boring office but I took the day off today for no real reason…"

"So you're pretty boring."

"Yeah. You could say that. But then I came over here to check in on the property and that sorta changed all at once."

"Sorry to bring _such_ excitement into your life."

"Nah. It's all good."

Marron smiled and felt her cheeks burning up. He sat forward and continued.

"So what about you? You got a guy back in Japan? I'll bet you do with those gorgeous eyes of yours."

Marron was taken aback by his flirting.

"I…I don't. I did. I mean, sorta. It's complicated. I moved here for a fresh start. I had to get away from all of that."

"I got you. So…if I were to ask you out for coffee sometime…that wouldn't be weird? I mean, it's weird because of the situation we found ourselves in today, but is it weird otherwise?"

Marron felt something inside of her break. She'd been so focused on everyone else that she'd forgotten about her own needs. What she'd had with Goten and what she'd almost started with Trunks was a disaster. She was lonely. She hadn't felt the warmth of a hand in her own in a long time. The stress was getting to her. She couldn't control the rush of feelings. She was lost in her own thoughts.

Before she knew it, she lunged forward and grabbed Sean by the collar of his button down shirt. She pulled him onto her lips and kissed him like she used to kiss Goten. She poured her feelings into him. Maybe he could accept the fact that this would probably be a onetime thing, but she couldn't think about that in the present moment.

They stood up and headed for the couch in the living room. She caught a brief glimpse of them in the television's reflection and grinned. She'd been deprived for too long. They tumbled down onto the couch and continued wrestling tongues for a while.

"Take off your pants." Marron demanded.

"W-what?"

"Now."

"Okay!"

Sean hastily began removing his belt as Marron slide her dress over her head. She felt exhilarating and dangerous. She'd never done anything like what she was about to do with anyone she didn't know before.

"Take me. Take me right now." Marron said in her most seductive voice, propping herself up with her elbows on the couch.

Before Sean could unbutton his shirt, she grabbed him and pulled him down on top of her. The feeling of a stranger entering her sent chills up and down her body, but in a good way. She moaned loudly and arched her back up to meet his stomach.

He lifted her up and sat back, letting her sit on top of him and take control. As she began to bounce around on him, she felt his large hands grip her sides and slide up and down her curves. His eyes were fixed ahead on her bouncing breasts, still constricted by her bra. She decided to leave it that way. Besides, if they ever did do this again, she should leave something for his imagination.

"Holy _shit_, girl." Sean panted.

The night was over before it had really begun. Marron laid next to Sean on the floor beside the couch panting and wondering what she should do next. He'd fallen asleep almost instantly. She started to wonder if he'd actually been wanting to ask her out for a while or if this was all brought on by the tragedy of the day. A wave of worry began to wash over her. It wasn't the time to think about it again.

Suddenly Marron's cell phone began to buzz from her purse in the dining room. She slinked up without waking Sean and answered it quickly. The voice on the other end sent her into complete regret for what she'd just done.

"Marron…Marron I gotta tell you something. I know you've been gone for a little while now and I'm sure you've been living life and shit…but I _love_ you. I've loved you for a long time and I can't let you live half way across the world without telling you. I didn't mean to let you go. I love you and I gotta know if you love me, too. I'm saying it. I can't stand letting you live over there without knowing it anymore."

Marron hurried off to her room to talk to Trunks. She listened to him and felt her heart forcefully torn in every direction. As the sun began to come up, Marron bid him farewell and agreed to meet him when his plane landed in America. She wasn't sure if she ever loved him, but she was sure that she wanted to give it a try. The familiarity after so much spontaneity was a welcomed distraction.

When she walked back out into the living room, still in just her bra, a horrifying sight laid in a bloody mess before her. Sean was dead, his throat slit in his sleep. A dark figure stood over him still holding the bloody knife. Marron backed into a wall, too terrified to scream.

"Hey, Marron…long time, no see."

Marron recognized the voice.

"M-Mikio…how did you…why are you…"

"Well I really didn't want to kill my half-brother, but seeing as you fucked him already…I didn't have a choice."

"_Brother? _I knew I recognized him!"

Mikio cleaned off his knife with a washcloth from the kitchen. He sauntered closer to her.

"I need you to do something for me, Marron."

"I'm not doing anything for you! You're fucking crazy!" Marron screamed.

"If you don't, then your mommy and your fake daddy will end up just like Sean! Get the picture?"

Marron looked down at Sean's lifeless body and cringed. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.

"What do I need to do?"

"Go put some clothes on. Then we'll talk. But I'll tell you this now…you have no idea how powerful you're about to become."


	13. Chapter 13

Goten woke up early in the morning feeling like he was on top of the world. He looked down at Bra, who was still fast asleep, and felt his heart skip a beat. He never thought he'd be this happy to get married, especially after the wreck of an engagement that he'd had with Marron.

He looked down at her hand that rested on his chest. The ring looked so perfect on Bra's finger. It wasn't huge and gaudy like Bulma's ring, though Goten was positive that Vegeta didn't pick that out nor pay for it, and it wasn't extremely modest like Chichi's ring. He was quite proud of it, especially considering that it only took one month's pay. The new job was really starting to make Goten feel more comfortable in life than he'd ever felt financially. Trunks was a very generous boss.

He rolled over and laid on his back, staring at the top of Bra's luxurious childhood canvas bed. He loved the way the curtains swallowed the whole bed, but she didn't want to take anything from her childhood bedroom to their apartment. He figured that she wanted to start over fresh with all of their jointly-bought furniture, but the feeling of being inside a very cushy, expensive tent was enough to make Goten want to stay in bed all day.

Unfortunately, it was a Friday, and his work alarm was sure to go off at any minute. With a big yawn, Goten picked up his charging phone that was next to his head and began scrolling through emails.

As he was reading a news article about a celebrity doing something stupid again, a new message pinged softly, causing Bra to mumble and roll over to her other side. Trunks' name appeared on the screen above the text.

"Important meeting, please meet me downstairs in fifteen."

Goten thought for a moment about the encounter with Trunks when he brought Marron into the lab the previous night. He was so angry to see her face again. It wasn't that he was jealous, it was that his best friend disappeared off of the face of the Earth for her. Maybe some people would in fact call that jealousy.

Goten might be accept the whole thing if Trunks' trip was truly for heavy work load or even mental sanity, but putting your life on hold for a woman like Marron? Marron was nothing more than a liar and master manipulator, Goten thought. He knew what kind of girl she'd become over the many years he'd known her so well. There had to be some kind of motive, likely monetary, causing her to cling to Trunks so tightly. Marron never did anything for no reason.

When Trunks pursued her before, she didn't seem interested in anything but getting Goten away from Bra. Trunks would never be number one choice with her. In all honesty, Trunks deserved so much better. He sighed and wished someone else would have come into his best friend's life before his ex fiancée.

Lost in his negative thoughts, he rolled over and put an arm around Bra's pregnant belly. He buried his nose in her hair and kissed the back of her head.

"I am going to get ready for work now…" he whispered softly.

Bra grumbled in acknowledgement but quickly started to snore quietly again after snuggling her pillow. Goten laughed, knowing that she would be so embarrassed if she knew what she actually does when she's asleep. Bra was the most difficult person to wake up in the morning. He was glad that she wasn't working just yet. The hormone spikes and moodiness would surely result in her getting fired by someone, or worse, knocking someone out cold.

He got out of bed and threw on one of the suits hanging neatly in the giant walk-in closet. The plethora of clothing, purses, shoes and accessories made Goten wonder how much Bra would accumulate at their new place over time. He was glad that she'd brought more than one suit for this visit, though. Bra was very good about keeping Goten prepared for things. However, she was getting so close to the end of her pregnancy that she seemed to want to stay around her mom's house all the time now. Just in case something happened, she said, but Goten suspected she was also starting to get scared and trying to seek support from more than just Goten.

He left the red-walled, dream bedroom and headed down the stairs. He walked into the kitchen happily seeking a quick breakfast, but turned around and yelled as soon as he saw what was going on. Trunks and Marron were engaged in a very intense make out session against the kitchen island.

"Guys! Oh, my God!" Goten scoffed angrily, covering his eyes and grumbling.

They stopped and laughed, knocking over a few spices on the counter.

"Sorry, Goten! I'm ready, let's go."

Trunks said, kissing Marron on the cheek and winking.

Goten shot her a suspicious look before punching Trunks in the arm and putting on his trademark beanie. Trunks promptly made fun of the "hat", but Goten ignored him. No one could take Goten's beanie away from him.

Outside, Goten sighed loudly as they kicked off. He didn't speak, but his attitude towards Trunks was clearly annoyed.

"Aw, c'mon, Goten…I'm sorry about everything. I had a great night and I feel so much better…can we just be friends again?"

Trunks was smiling like an idiot. Goten rolled his eyes and remembered that he used to have the same dumb smile on his face two years ago from the same girl.

"We never stopped being friends…you're just being stupid." Goten responded coldly.

Trunks shrugged, "I'm not. I love her, Goten. I'm sorry that you feel so…"

Trunks was cut off abruptly as he banged right into another flying saiyan in the sky.

"Ow!" Tarble yelled as he rubbed his head and pushed Trunks away from him.

Trunks turned red, "How did you not see us? How did I not sense you? What the hell are you doing up here so early?" Trunks hollered in a confused daze.

Goten laughed hysterically as they rubbed their heads and frowned at each other. Tarble was very clearly disappointed to have run into Trunks of all people, seemingly odd to them both. Trunks had no idea that Tarble knew that he kissed Pan while he was drunk the night before.

"I'm sorry. I was just out training…I know it's early. I wanted to get back before Pan realizes that I've got a head start on her today."

Tarble blushed at the mention of Pan. Trunks noticed his awkward demeanor and called him on it.

"Do you like her or something? What the hell is with that stupid look on your face?" Trunks asked without tact.

Goten stopped laughing and was taken aback by his outward expression of disapproval.

"Hey, man…why do you care?" Goten said, jumping on the opportunity to defend Tarble and let off just a little more frustration with Trunks.

Tarble shrugged off the question.

"I've gotta get going…"

He flew past Goten and headed back towards the Brief household.

"Thanks for having my back, man…" Trunks said with a hint of sarcasm.

Goten laughed, "Well, consider us even. I feel better now. So, Marron jumped your bones last night? Guess she took advantage of your drunken state of mind."

Goten felt weirdly at ease joking about the subject. Trunks blushed violently.

"Well, maybe, yeah…but whatever."

Goten continued to pry, "So do you think Tarble really likes Pan? That's weird…ha, especially since Pan is older than him now! Or is she? He's technically still got the mind of a thirty-something-year-old, right?"

Trunks glanced at Goten but then continued looking forward as they flew. He seemed to clam up even worse at the mention of Pan. Goten remembered that Trunks was never one to kiss and tell, but he also never seemed to mind discussing Pan before. It all seemed a little fishy, but he decided to drop it and let Trunks cool off a bit.

They arrived at Capsule Corp headquarters within the next ten minutes and headed up to Trunks' office. The workers seemed overjoyed at the arrival of their beloved president. It was clearly a fake display justified only by fear of job security. Trunks was a friendly and casual CEO, that was for sure, but everyone was well aware of the still lingering negative feelings about Bulma leaving the job. He waved cordially and continued onto an elevator with Goten before anyone had the chance to talk to him and bring up his hiatus.

"Phew…I can only imagine what this meeting will be like."

Trunks leaned forward towards the floor and began to sweat. He was genuinely nervous. Goten straightened his tie and tried to look put-together.

"I'm not nervous. This is all about your wonderful American business deals, right?"

Trunks looked up at him and frowned at his sarcasm.

"Yes. But I hate talking to all of these guys at one time. Hitake called the meeting and he's just such a douche."

Goten paused as he was checking out his reflection in metal elevator door.

"Hitake? The older guy? Oh, God…he was starting to threaten my job, you know! He wanted to fly me out to your hotel just to convince you to come back!"

Trunks frowned, "Yeah, he's a weird guy. He used to be alright, but the last several months he's turned into a real pain in the ass. Don't worry about him, I won't let him do anything stupid. I think he used to have the hots for my mom, too…it's just weird."

The elevator pinged and opened on the fiftieth floor. The largest of the five conference rooms was setup with tables in a square shape for the meeting. The projection screen was up and ready, waiting to be connected to New York, London, and Dubai. The company expanding past the Eastern hemisphere was never a reality that they could depend on, but it seemed Trunks was skilled at breaking down barriers that Bulma could not. The executives sat in their usual seats, with representatives from a few other countries present as well. Hitake sat near the middle, but watched as Trunks and Goten entered. It was like a dark cloud was settled in the center of the room. To their dismay, he hopped up from his seat and ran over to them eagerly.

"Mr. Brief, you are looking well. We missed your great leadership while you were gone."

Trunks smiled and shook his hand with some pride, but Goten frowned. Hitake never indicated to Goten that he thought anything more of Trunks than he thought of a pile of garbage. He outwardly and openly pursued the title of CEO. Perhaps he was on his best behavior for some unknown business reason.

Goten headed for the table and sat down, avoiding any chance for Hitake to speak to him directly. He prepared his computer for note taking and was joined by Trunks shortly after. He sat at the head of the long table and opposite the projection screen. On his command, the phones would connect across the globe and the meeting would commence.

After a long two hours of presentations and debating, deals were made and the company had a new partner in the West. Trunks looked exhausted, but proud. Goten had written 98 pages of notes. It all seemed successful. As they began to gather everything to leave, Hitake approached Trunks and Goten again.

"I hear that your wife is just about due…seems very fast. Are you an alien or something?"

Goten and Trunks both flushed red.

"No, no…uh…we just didn't tell anyone for a few months. She's right at nine months right now!"

Goten began to fidget with his hands, but Trunks elbowed him discretely. Hitake nodded happily, appearing to not notice anything unusual.

"Oh and she's not my wife…yet. I mean, we're engaged." Goten continued, increasingly more nervous as he went.

Realizing that his friend was getting panicky, Trunks interjected.

"So what can I do for you today Hitake?"

His pride was clearly at its peak after a successful breakthrough with America was completely credited to him.

Hitake cleared his throat, "I'd like to invite your family to my home for dinner. I think it would be a fine occasion, fitting for your recent…successes."

Trunks beamed happily, but Goten's weird and creepy radar in his mind was definitely going off. Something seemed strange about the proposal.

"I'll be seeing you there this evening then. Please bring your mother and father, a date if you would like. Goten, please join us with that delightful wi-I mean, fiancée, of yours. I'd _love_ to meet her."

Goten smiled awkwardly and nodded, but felt no need to attend any dinners. He started to put on his jacket and pulled on his beanie, motioning for Trunks to follow him. With a polite good-bye, they practically ran away from the man. Goten could feel Hitake's eyes burning into their backs as they left.

On their way home, Goten and Trunks spoke lightly of the events that transpired and didn't feel the need to expand upon it any further. Goten agreed to go to the dinner, but shared his concerns with Trunks first. Trunks dismissed his worries and continued to insist that it was all okay. After all, Hitake had been around for years and would do anything to please Bulma if she was involved.

At the Brief household, Pan and Tarble were in the front yard sparring. Trunks landed near Pan and made eye contact with her, causing her to blush bright red against her pale skin. She smiled and waved before her eyes darted back to the ground. Trunks waved back halfheartedly but didn't approach her. At the same time, Tarble landed a hard punch on her shoulder and knocked her backwards. She snapped out of her trance and groaned loudly.

"Aw, man! Can't we take a break? I'm beat, Tarble!"

Tarble sighed and glared at Trunks. Goten noticed that the intense, electric anger shooting between them seemed overly personal. Trunks hadn't mentioned any problems with his now younger uncle before. He had no idea what to make of it, only that Pan seemed to know what was bothering them and also seemed to be in the middle of it.

"Trunks!" Marron called happily as she ran out of the doorway.

She flew up into his arms and pushed him backwards. She kissed him fairly inappropriately for public eyes, but Goten dismissed it and scolded them playfully.

"_Get a room!_" He laughed as he started to walk around them.

Marron piped up excitedly, "Okay, let's!"

Trunks smiled dangerously at her. She dragged him up from the sidewalk and started towards the house behind Goten.

Pan watched them sadly. She felt her heart beating slower and slower like everything she'd wanted was for nothing. It was becoming clear that everything Pan thought would become a reality was never going to happen.

"Hey…are you okay?" Tarble asked, holding out a hand for Pan to take.

She looked up at him from the ground and asked softly, "Tarble…be honest. What's _wrong_ with me? Is something wrong with me?"

Tarble shot another angry glare at the now closed front door and then looked back to Pan quickly.

"_Nothing_ is wrong with you. He's crazy not to notice how great you are."

She blushed. Tarble was so direct. She hadn't really thought about it until now, but he was very cute. Distracted, she began to get up from the ground and took a few steps. She didn't see the garden rocks below her and tripped over one, sending her flying right into Tarble's arms.

"Oh, my God! I'm sorry! _See?_ I'm such a klutz. No wonder he doesn't like me. I'm unattractive and I'm so lame. He hasn't even said anything about me going super saiyan!"

"Why do you really care so much about what he thinks of you? I happen to think that you are perfect just the way you are. I've told you that before."

"I know but…I just want him to notice! Like, would it hurt for him to be like, oh hey, Pan…you turned super saiyan! You're not lame anymore!"

"Is that really all that you want for him to notice?"

"No! I mean…he could maybe notice that I have boobs finally!"

Tarble turned bright red. She was pressed right up against his chest, clearly proving her point.

"Sorry…that was weird. I just wish…well, I wish he was more like you." Pan admitted.

Tarble seemed surprised.

"What? More like me?"

"Yeah. You're kinda…perfect. Any girl would totally love having you as a boyfriend."

"Any…girl…"

Tarble stared down at the ground. He realized that he was still holding her waist from when she tripped, but she hadn't pulled away from him yet. He didn't want to let go. He _couldn't_ let her go. She simply kept talking.

"I think you are just the ideal kind of guy. You're sweet, handsome, super strong…man…the list goes on and on and…"

He cut Pan off when he lunged forward and kissed her out of nowhere.

Pan's first instinct was to punch him, but a fuse was lit inside of her. This kiss was different from her kiss with Trunks. This kiss was soft, unforced and gentle. This kiss was easy. This kiss felt real.

He held completely still, keeping his lips pressed against hers with the utmost care. She realized what was happening and pulled away from him suddenly. She hadn't expected such a move from him.

What was she supposed to say? The tan saiyan before her had just done the unimaginable to her fragile psyche. His strong face, though younger, still showed years of battle and knowledge beyond Pan's wildest imagination. She wasn't sure that she could ever understand everything going on in his head. She also wasn't sure what his intentions were.

"I'm not sure…what's happening here." Pan said in an almost inaudible whisper.

Tarble rose her chin to his with one hand and pulled her closer to him with the other.

"You don't need to be sure…you only need to trust me."

Pan felt the same feeling that she'd felt the night before building up inside of her. She felt her face getting numb with heat and her heart beating faster and faster. Her body felt like it was floating but on fire. Her lips twitched awkwardly and her head felt cloudy.

"_Trust_ you?" She asked.

Tarble sighed, "You don't trust me? I'll be sure to keep earning that, then."

He brushed her hair away from her face and brought his to hers. Her lips stopped twitching and her heart seemed to stop beating. It was like a whole new world exploded inside of her soul. Why was this happening when something so different happened when she kissed Trunks? Didn't she love Trunks? She hadn't even thought of Tarble like this…or had she? His warm lips against hers sent her head spinning up in the clouds.

"I'm…not sure…we should…do this…" Pan said between lingering, light kisses.

Tarble stopped for a moment and looked into her eyes, making her feel completely exposed to the world. He had a way of making her open up to him without trying, but his gaze into her eyes was almost overbearing.

"You're like…sixteen now." Pan stated with guilt.

Tarble laughed, "You think I'm too _young_ for you? Oh, how the tables have turned…"

Pan broke away from him and pouted.

"Well…you _look_ like it anyway."

Tarble sighed, "Well, I guess this is complicated…isn't it? Do I not interest you that way then?"

He certainly did interest her. He was chiseled, like every other saiyan around, but in a different way. He resembled Cabba a little bit, but he was built much more compact than the others. Tarble's mind was also just as powerful, if not more so, than his body. He was short like Pan and had a softer look than Vegeta, though they were similar in appearance. He was nothing short of the whole package. So what exactly was the problem?

"I'm not…sure. I just…Trunks was my first kiss last night. I'm guessing that you saw it and that's why you were being so weird with him, right?"

"I don't really understand your thought process. I want to, but I need you to be a little bit more specific, please." Tarble stated eloquently.

"I have no friggin clue what all of these feelings mean! I'm not sure…" Pan sputtered.

She crossed her arms and began to tear up. Tarble felt guilty for confusing her so badly and backed away with his head lowered.

"I'm a patient man, even if I look like a teenager now. Don't let yourself feel rushed and don't be fooled by my youthful appearance. I've only got the purest of intentions. I apologize for my rash decision to kiss you. I'll never do it again unless you ask me to. I'm sorry."

He couldn't have been more sincere.

Pan began to respond, but he was already flying away from her. She didn't mean to hurt him. Trunks had Marron and rejected Pan, so obviously he thought that he had a chance with her now. It all made sense on paper, but to really live it was causing Pan to implode.

Maybe she shouldn't have aged herself like she did. Was it even worth it?


	14. Chapter 14

Tarble sat down in the grass next to a giant tree in the field that he'd stargazed in with Pan several nights ago. Even though he wanted to stay at the house and convince Pan that kissing her wasn't so bad, he couldn't bear it. He was a man of honor. He had to get away and think about what was best for her. He wasn't going to force himself on her.

The hard truth that Pan loved Trunks and not Tarble became clear to him with her reaction. However, if that was truly the case, then why did he feel such an intense pang of emotions the second he kissed her? He had no idea what he was doing. His late wife never made him feel such carnal urges. It had to be a saiyan thing.

When he married Gure, it was definitely sweet and loving. There was passion of course, as much as there could be, but nothing like the flood of raw feelings that he felt when Pan was near him that night. He could not conceive a child with Gure's species, so they rarely attempted any form of intimacy other than simple kissing. He missed his adoring wife, but the age reversal seemed to have affected his brain and hormones in an unexpected way. The pain of missing Gure was significantly less than it was before he entered the chamber.

In addition to the now raging hormones, he felt dangerously confined to solitude. For him, solitude was how he spent most of his adult life. Gure was always out with her friends or working, so Tarble completed project after project in his lab without much social interaction. Strangely, Earth seemed to be the polar opposite. He'd never had so much attention from a similar species in his lifetime.

Human life versus life on his planet with Gure was finally changing for the better when he felt himself falling for Pan before the whole chamber incident. Now that he'd acted on his urges, the idea that she would never love him back hurt him worse than any physical pain he'd ever experienced. It felt like his heart was tearing in half and only a miracle could glue it back together. Rejection, he thought, has to be the worst thing that you can experience besides death as a human.

Continuing his deep dive into thought, he almost laughed out loud. Rejection compared to death? What could he possibly be thinking? He'd lost his family, his wife, his friends…everything when the unknown saiyans took him captive. If they would have killed Vegeta, he wouldn't even have a home to live in on Earth.

Then it hit him.

The feelings that were welling up inside of him weren't exactly feelings that he'd ever felt before because his brain was reverting back to that of a teenager's brain. Everything was huge, everything was horrific and everything meant the end of life as he knew it. Even if he logically told himself that there were other women on this planet and that one kiss doesn't mean that they are soulmates in the grand scheme of things, his brain was still screaming. His heart was still reeling in pain. He had to get his mind off of all of these feelings.

As his head spun, he fell back onto the cool grass and stared up at the sky. It was somewhere around five-thirty in the afternoon, so the sun was just starting to set on the cool, early-January sky.

It was strange to look up and see only one sun and one moon, as Tarble's previous planet had many. He remembered the purple skies filled with other planets and strange, wispy formations similar to Earth's clouds. The sound of the birds on Earth was so peaceful, not like the creatures of his planet that screeched and hollered at all hours of the day and night.

This planet was beautiful, he thought. Going home was not an option any longer even if he could. His new life on planet Earth was going to last for the rest of his life. His only hope was that he could convince Pan, his best friend, to be at his side for this adventure.

Back at the Brief household, Pan sat in the living room watching tv while Trunks explained to Bulma that Hitake requested her presence at dinner. Bulma wasn't exactly pleased with the invitation being so short notice, but quickly admitted that refusal was not an option.

"That man has been on my case for years. He's always felt entitled to my position. That's probably why he takes out his hate for you on Goten. He knows that I would kick his ass if he harassed you for even one second!"

Trunks waved his hand dismissively at his mother and straightened his tie.

"I am perfectly capable of defending my own job, mom."

His prideful, Vegeta-like smirk lit up across his face causing Bulma to chuckle.

"I would've believed you six weeks ago, dear. Now they see you as just a spoiled brat with lots of money that did something that could've destroyed the company. You're lucky that your deals went through over there. Now you're a super star with even more money. _Gosh_…come to think of it…no wonder the man takes his hate out on Goten. You're just _too_ popular to be mean to." Bulma gushed with complete sarcasm.

Vegeta, who was hovering around the fridge in the kitchen, began to grow tired of the chit-chat and stepped into the foyer.

"I'm going to get ready for this dinner party. If this man has a problem with my wife and son, I'd like to hear what he has to say. Perhaps his complaints are legitimate and fuel for my own personal fires."

Bulma frowned and crossed her arms, causing her daughter to laugh and point from the staircase.

"Oh, mom…you can't handle anyone hating on Trunks or yourself. If it was someone hating on dad you'd totally encourage them!"

Vegeta blushed and stormed up the stairs past his giggling daughter scoffing and muttering under his breath.

"There's something else that you should know about but I didn't want to say it in front of dad."

Bulma leaned closer with interested ears.

"It's…it's like he knows about us. He seems weirdly interested in Bra and Goten's relationship, not to mention he asked if we were aliens today." Trunks paused for a reaction.

Bulma and Bra stopped laughing and looked at Trunks with wide eyes.

"He was kinda kidding though, but it was still weird. Dude gives me the creeps." Goten added, following Bra protectively.

"_Aliens?_ What an ass." Bulma growled.

Goten shrugged and answered, "Well…we _are_ aliens, aren't we? It's not all that much of an insult."

Bra certainly looked offended. She stretched her back a bit and turned towards Goten when she stepped onto the foyer floor, hoisting her baby belly with her.

"I am _no_ alien. Dad and Tarble are aliens, your dad is an alien, but I am just a beautiful Earthling with super powers!"

She smiled and framed her face with her dainty hands. Goten laughed and hugged her gently.

Trunks rolled his eyes at them. He saw Marron outside sitting on the porch by herself and decided to ask her if she'd join him at the dinner. He excused himself from the conversation and headed out the door.

Of course, a certain someone noticed just as soon as the front door slammed shut. Pan stood up and peered out of the window from the front living room and watched as Trunks sat beside Marron. He placed an arm around her shoulder and kissed the side of her head delicately. Jealousy burned Pan's pale face as she warmed up to a bright red color. She sighed and turned back towards the flat screen tv before replaying the scene between her and Tarble the night before in her mind.

Obviously no one had seen them, which offered her some comfort, but it was still embarassing. She supposed she could have kissed him back with a little bit more effort. She could have let him keep kissing her. Why _did_ she ask him to stop?

She reached up and touched her lips lightly. A small buzz of exhilaration shot from her fingertips to her toes. She shivered and felt a wave of pleasure wash over her. She knew that she was attracted to Tarble, but could she just forget about her mission to steal Trunks away from Marron? Was her love for Trunks just an illusion all along?

She pictured Trunks' blue eyes and melted. His light-purple hair contrasted so nicely against his tan skin. She continued to picture his chiseled body and what it might look like without his usual business suits.

_Oh, my._

As she began to practically drool, Tarble re-entered her mind as though he was competing for a spot in her daydream. His onyx eyes matched his raven-black hair, but softened into a warm smile that would steal any girl's heart.

Her mind began to enter another realm. The perfect sparring partner could also make for the perfect partner in the bedroom as well, right? She pictured Tarble in front of her in a dark bedroom, staring down at her as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Are you ready?" He'd ask, in his strange yet polite, alien accent.

"I'm ready." She'd answer.

He'd begin to kiss her. She recalled his soft lips and delicate kiss. He made her feel so vulnerable yet safe at the same time. He started to let his hands travel down her arms. She shivered.

"Pan."

"_Yeah_…" Pan whispered.

"Pan?"

Pan woke up suddenly and stared up at a concerned Trunks. He was shaking her arms harshly.

"You were dreaming…it was weird…"

Pan shot up from her seat and looked around. Everyone else was in another room. She sighed and relaxed a bit. No one else seemed to notice her secret, erotic dreams.

"So uh…we're all leaving now...here's a house key. You can keep it since you're around so much, but we probably won't be back until late tonight. Mom told me to tell you to feel free to spend the night in one of the rooms if you'd like to."

Trunks looked down awkwardly and tossed her the key. Pan could only blush in response. Bulma soon came clicking down the hallway in a lavish outfit.

"If you want any food, help yourself, Pan. Let's go Vegeta!" Bulma shouted.

Bulma straightened her necklace in the foyer mirror and cleared her throat. All but her husband had joined her near the front door. He could be heard fumbling around upstairs.

"I'm coming, woman! Perhaps if you knew how to iron properly, I'd already have pants on and we could leave! Blasted…iron…damn it!"

Vegeta's voice echoed through the house. Clearly, he did not enjoy using an iron nor did he enjoy wearing human dress clothes. They heard him chuck the iron across the room, sending it into the drywall.

Bulma, Bra and Trunks laughed at their typical saiyan prince with glee. Goten gave Marron a look, one that she hadn't seen in a while. They always used to joke about how weird the Brief family was in the past.

Goten felt himself finally trying to forgive Marron lately, seeing as she wasn't going away any time soon. He knew that Trunks would keep her here as long as he could and pay for anything she could ever desire.

Marron smiled back at Goten politely and turned towards the door. Strangely, she didn't feel angry at him anymore either. She felt relief from her ongoing grief. Perhaps she really was beginning to have feelings for Trunks, which scared the hell out of her.

"Trunks, can we take the black one? It's my favorite." Marron asked with a high-pitched, begging voice.

"Sure. I've got the capsule…here. Go start it up." Trunks tossed a purple capsule into Marron's hands after digging it out of his pocket. He had no issue with letting her decide which fancy vehicle to ride in next, though Goten couldn't picture him letting anyone else actually drive it.

When they all arrived at the Hitake home, it was much grander than that of the average executive. Even Bulma seemed surprised that it was so large. The giant, iron gates opened slowly to reveal a long, stone driveway that circled around a majestic water fountain. The home itself was set back from the drive and looked to have at least three stories, if not more. The spiral staircase was lit up by the exquisite chandelier hanging behind the front windows.

"Wow!" Marron said as they returned their vehicles to their capsules. "I never realized that we'd be going to a place like this!"

"Would you like a house like this one day? It's not beyond reach, mom just liked the more modern look." Trunks answered rather seriously.

Bulma shot Trunks an annoyed glance, but Marron's eyes twinkled with possibility. Bra seemed unmoved by the home, as did Vegeta. Goten wondered what he himself would feel like if he'd been raised with that kind of money. To him, the house was a castle.

Back at the Brief house, Pan contemplated her dream about Tarble. She felt excited in a way she'd never felt before in person. Sex wasn't something she'd thought about before the chamber. Now that she was older, physically, her dreams had gotten much more erotic. Maybe it was her body telling her that she was ready for something more than just kissing. The thought was a little scary. She hadn't so much as been on a real date at fifteen, let alone anything more than kissing.

She shuffled about on the couch and stared up at the large, widescreen television as she pondered her options. She began to wonder what it would be like if she did have feelings for Tarble instead of Trunks.

She'd never had a friend like Tarble. She could tell him anything. He divulged his deepest secrets to her as well. Age difference aside, Trunks never did share anything that personal with her. The night she spent in the lab with him had been filled with jokes and flirting, but her age was like an invisible boundary that Trunks refused to cross. Tarble on the other hand didn't seem to have any concept of age at all when they spoke before the chamber. He treated her like she was just like any other person. He became the closest friend she'd ever had without even trying. If Trunks cared about her that much, wouldn't it be that easy with him?

She laid back on the couch and rested her head on the arm rest. All of these thoughts running through her mind were too much to handle at once. Feeling sleepy again, she let her eyes drift shut.

In and out of consciousness, Tarble's sweet smile and Trunks' sexy grin danced interchangeably throughout her mind. After only a few moments with her thoughts and fighting an inevitable sleep, the front door creaked open. Pan opened her eyes and peeked over the top of the couch. Tarble was there, looking awkward.

What should she do? He seemed upset, but in a very personal way. He didn't look angry, but he did look devastated. Without thinking, she motioned for him to sit next to her, but he hesitated. He cleared his throat and stared down at his feet.

Pan smiled and motioned again for him to have a seat. He reluctantly moved towards her and sat on the couch, letting the door fall closed behind him. He continued his desperate search for something else in the room to focus on, avoiding her eyes completely. He tried to speak a few times, but words seemed to escape him. Small whispers escaped his nervous lips, breaking the silence from time to time. Finally, he spoke quietly.

"I…had to see you."

Pan sat up and felt her cheeks flush red.

Tarble was also blushing, but he seemed embarrassed for himself alone. He was truly sorry for kissing her without her consent. Pan found it odd. Normally, if a boy liked a girl, he kissed her at some point. If she didn't like him back, the kiss may be one sided, but they moved on from it. Tarble seemed to think he'd committed a horrible sin against her. Pan smiled to herself.

Being who she was, the granddaughter of a celebrity and a notorious tomboy, most other kids in school made her feel like a freak of nature. She had some friends, but she never let anyone in like she let Tarble in. He seemed to be telling her without words how much he regretting making her feel uncomfortable and betrayed. She wanted to tell him that she wasn't mad, and that she kind of liked the kiss, but it was too hard. She wasn't sure how she felt exactly.

Finally, the silence was just too much. She decided that she had to say something.

Pan's heart began to pound. If love was something to be earned, why on Earth wasn't Trunks earning it? Why wasn't he seeking her out to make her feel like he did love her, too? Was the kiss she stole from him just something that made her feel good in the moment? Was it just to take advantage of his drunken state? What if she never actually loved Trunks at all to begin with?

She felt her body getting hot and bothered by the tension filling the air between them. He noticed that her expression was changing with her thoughts. He was watching her now, staring politely and smiling weakly. In an effort to break the tension, Pan leaned forward and pulled her feet under her legs on the couch. Tarble snickered at her cute pose.

Her mind exploded with thoughts. She'd come so far, casting her teenaged years aside for Trunks. She'd disappointed her parents, broken their hearts and shattered their hopes for her. Why should she cast aside the one person who understood everything that she was going through?

She felt her heart giving way. She was tired of feeling crazy. She was tired of being starry-eyed in love with feelings that would never be reciprocated. Maybe that was just lust and love was something different. Maybe love took more to create. Either way she was alone in this, in serious trouble, without Tarble.

"I just might…" Pan began in a whisper.

Tarble perked up and listened for more words eagerly.

She couldn't continue easily. She wanted to hide her truth from even herself. She wanted to hide her feelings forever, believe that the only man that she'd wanted for years was the only man she could ever love, but as she stared at the curvature of his mouth and the soulfulness filling his dark, warm eyes, her barriers began to break. She couldn't hide anymore. She had to take what she knew was right into her own hands.

"I don't know how to say this…it's crazy, I feel like I barely know you but at the same time…I know you."

Tarble nodded, "You do…and you don't."

Pan blushed scarlet. What a confusing response. She decided to continue anyway.

"This whole time that I've been obsessing over Trunks…you just let me talk about him. I didn't realize that it probably bugged the hell out of you. I didn't realize…that your feelings might be different than mine…"

Tarble smiled and looked down. His eyes slowly rose from the floor and traveled up Pan's torso. She felt herself melt into a delicious state of danger when his eyes finally met hers again.

"Are they so different, though?" Tarble asked sincerely.

"If you would have asked me that two days ago…or even a few hours ago…I might have denied everything. I might have said…Pan, you're crazy, it's all about Trunks. Like, that's just the truth. But now…"

Tarble smiled wider.

"But now?" He asked.

"Now things are clearer to me. I don't think that I was ever meant to be with Trunks…"

"Oh?"

"It's like that crush I always had on him was my childhood…now that I'm an adult…it's different. I feel different. I feel like I want to…experience new things."

"I'm…relieved to hear you say that…New things are my favorite things to try."

Pan gulped. Tarble's glazed over expression was intoxicating. She wasn't sure if he was intending to be so alluring or if it was just how he looked in dim, window-light.

"What I'm s-saying is…maybe I have these feelings that like…I don't know how to express right now…"

"Expression is an art form. I find that when I'm at a loss…experimentation can help to form a new hypothesis."

"A new hypothesis?"

Pan laughed and inadvertently scooted closer to him.

"Come on…if you're going to be spending more time with a man of science, you'll have to get used to terms such as 'hypothesis'." Tarble shrugged confidently.

Pan began to feel more confident.

"What else would I have to get used to?"

"That's a very serious question, Pan. You're treading in deeper waters, now."

"How so?"

"Because what you would have to get used to is…seriously dangerous."

"Dangerous how?"

"Do you…want me to show you?"

"Just an example…?"

"An example, then."

"Maybe…I don't know if I'm…what if I can't handle it?"

"It's highly likely that the experimentation phase could turn catastrophic…but that's what makes it so fun, right?"

Pan realized that he was now only millimeters from her face. They were practically sitting on top of each other. The lusty haze filling the air was so thick that someone could cut it with a knife. She could feel his breath. She could practically taste his still-familiar lips on her own. She looked at his perfect mouth and back up to his onyx eyes and felt herself go numb. She felt warm on the inside, like it was bursting from within and spreading over her body. She wanted to kiss him again. She wanted to know what it was like to kiss him back. She wanted this _now_.

"I'm sorry…I think I should probably go." Tarble whispered, blinking rapidly and scooting away from her.

"What? Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No?"

Tarble cleared his throat and placed a pillow on his lap.

"I believe we should pause before things get out of hand."

Pan realized why he was hiding under a pillow and felt like running away.

"You're right! You're right, you're right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so…"

She paused and stared up at him with lust-filled eyes. The silence filled the room up. A car drove by outside, lighting up Tarble's face for a brief moment. She sighed and felt her stomach do a back flip. She bit her lip. He seemed to relax a bit. She saw him take in a deep breath and braced herself for whatever he was about to say.

"Fuck it."

Tarble tossed the pillow aside and reached out abruptly for Pan's waist. She thrust herself forward into his arms. Their lips met in a fiery blaze, igniting a passion that she didn't know she could feel. He was warm and delicious, making her stomach flip around happily in excited bounds. Sparks were flying. She couldn't contain all of the animalistic instincts she was feeling.

Suddenly, Pan's phone rang. She looked over to it, still kissing Tarble, but he reached up and pulled her face back towards him.

"Ignore it." He said breathlessly.

"Okay."

Their makeout session continued. The phone rang a second time. Pan was beginning to feel a little nervous. When the phone rang for a third call, Pan pulled away and grabbed for it.

When she answered, her tone changed instantly. She hopped of off the couch with horror on her face. Her skin paled. In that moment, Tarble knew that something was very, very wrong.


	15. Chapter 15

The front door towered over them as they stood waiting for an answer. Trunks peered through the clear, glass windows adorning the front of the jet-black door curiously.

"Hey, check out that staircase!" He said enthusiastically. "Why don't we have one like that, mom? I might consider building one in my house…"

Bulma groaned and crossed her arms. She, too peered inside and scoffed when she saw the spiraling masterpiece. Jealousy was quite apparent.

"I think it's totally overdone. And what do you mean your house? Are you settling down now and building your dream home? You can't build something like that inside of a penthouse!"

While Trunks pondered her question seriously, Bulma directed her gaze to Marron. Bulma, like most everyone else, was still bothered by the fact that Trunks had been gone for so long. It seemed that his achievements overseas remained completely unnoticed by his family. Marron blushed and looked down at her pink flats.

"I think it would be nice, Trunks." Marron muttered timidly.

"See? I'm not the only one with a taste for true, high-class artistry here." Trunks responded while putting an arm around her.

His cockiness was at an all-time high these days, but Marron liked it when he was cocky. She found herself swooning over his slanted smirk and his sexy, blue eyes narrowed in on whoever he was trying to rise higher than every time. In this case however, it was his mother. Bulma rolled her eyes and looked back through the door. She was unmoved by her son's lack of financial modesty.

"Where the hell is this bastard? I'm hungry." Vegeta grumbled.

Goten laughed and agreed, causing Vegeta to shoot him an annoyed look. Marron considered how strange it must be for Vegeta. His son was dating the daughter of a woman who apparently almost killed him in what she called her "dark" years. His daughter was about to have the child of his rival's son. It all seemed like such complicated drama.

Finally, Hitake could be seen casually walking towards the front door, smiling. Bulma groaned and pretended to smile back.

"Welcome! So sorry that I took a moment to come to the door! I was making sure that everything was all set for my wonderful guests this evening. Please, come in!"

Hitake stepped aside and motioned for them to come through the doorway. Trunks was the first to enter, followed by his slightly reluctant family. Goten had to duck to fit through the doorway, which Vegeta grumbled something inaudible about. Clearly the fact that Goten was even taller than Goku annoyed the short saiyan prince. Marron had a silent laugh to herself watching a family with such complex history interact.

The grand foyer was decorated with the most expensive of sculptures and oil paintings. At the base of the hackneyed, spiral staircase, a medieval solider statue stood bravely holding a spear and a shield. As Hitake showed off his home and explained several artifacts around the area, he skimmed over the soldier. The group moved passed the brave figure, but Marron noticed something that the others had missed. The "man" inside of the armor, though made of gold, looked to be hairy all over. She stopped and stared for a moment to examine the figure. His face was in fact hairy with a wide and flat nose. His mouth was frowning angrily making him look inhuman with dastardly fangs. She looked up at his eyes and instantly realized what the thing inside of the armor actually was; an ape man was standing before her. The imagery startled her.

She glanced down the hallway and caught Hitake's eye. He didn't stutter from his speech about a particularly impressive oil painting, but he seemed to shoot an arrow into Marron's subconscious. Something thrust her forward and caused her to rejoin the group involuntarily. She was scared of him. It was very easy to let go and explode at her intended target if she wanted to, but now was not the time. It was too soon to reveal her powers to her unsuspecting friends. She closed her eyes to hide their flashing color. The purple ring that formed when her power flared was not easy to conceal otherwise. She took a deep breath and began to rub her eyes profusely.

"You okay?" Goten asked, uninterested in the artwork Hitake was bragging about.

She held her hands over her eyes for a moment until the urges passed.

"I'm fine. Just got something in my eye." Marron answered, dismissing his concern.

She opened her eyes again, praying that the rings were gone. Goten smiled and nodded. She sighed with relief.

Hitake showed them into the dining room next, telling them to sit wherever they pleased. He ran over to the chair at one end of the table and pulled it out. A red pillow sat up against the golden chair's detailed back.

" , please sit here. I've added a pillow for your comfort. I assume that little bundle of joy could be here any day now."

Bra placed a hand on her very pregnant stomach and smiled sarcastically. Goten took her waist and pulled her closer to him protectively.

"Please!" Hitake insisted with a large smile spread across his face.

Bra headed towards him and sat down awkwardly as he pushed the chair in behind her. Goten quickly joined her and pulled his chair close to the end of the table as Hitake hurried back over to the group. Marron felt slightly jealous as she looked at Trunks. He had already begun chatting away with Hitake and Bulma and forgotten to pull a chair out for her. Vegeta seemed to be the most uncomfortable, looking around for food on the table and looking up at the majestically painted ceiling with a constant frown. He crossed his arms and sat down at the table, urging the others to sit as well.

Throughout the night, Trunks was pushed further and further out of the conversation between Hitake and Bulma. The food was served shortly after they sat down, but Marron noticed that Bra wasn't really eating. She seemed to be picking through her food with a pained expression. She continuously whispered to Goten, who whispered back and looked around as he answered. Something seemed odd.

"I'm going to…go to the bathroom." Marron said to Trunks quietly, though he seemed too enthralled with Bulma's description of a machine she'd made to care.

She got up and took the fabric napkin from her lap, placing it on the table and headed out into the hallway. She quickly checked to make sure that no one followed her. She walked towards the ape statue again and continued her examination of the strange soldier, but then he appeared.

"Marron…how nice to see you again. Are you prepared for the plan tonight? It could get very intense with Vegeta here. He's quite powerful. I didn't plan for him to show up."

Marron looked up at the tall, slender man with spikey, brown hair. His thin face looked more excited than she'd ever seen it before. He walked down the spiral staircase with complete composure and stood directly in front of her.

"_Mikio_…Before I do this for you, I need to know that Yamcha and my mom are still okay." Marron said gravely, lowering her head as his eyes burned into her.

"Oh, relax. I'm too excited for tonight to deal with you freaking out about it. As long as you control yourself and do as we tell you, everything will work out just fine for mommy and daddy." Mikio said coolly.

"He's _not_ my dad!" Marron warned angrily, almost shouting.

Mikio looked around and pushed Marron against the staircase railing. His powerful push banged her head on one of the rails, causing her eyes to flash purple in defense.

"Shh! If you blow our cover, the deal is off! Control, Marron. _Control_."

Mikio released her and turned towards the front door. He paced back and forth while Marron shook out her top. Angrily, Marron turned around and began to walk away from Mikio with an attitude. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him with a yank.

"Hey. I'm serious, Marron. If you screw this up…his life is at stake, too. Just imagine a world without your precious Goten to run back to when you're feeling sad."

Marron looked into his fiery eyes with fear. He was hurting her arm, but she was too focused on his intense stare. For a moment, she saw what she feared the most. The golden rings around his pupils glowed brightly. She pulled back from him and fell to the floor. His body was surging with anger, but he was taking deep breaths and trying his best to reel it in. After a few moments, he closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. When he opened them and looked at her again, the rings were gone.

"See what you made me do? Now go and get back to work. It'll be happening at any moment. The medication that I put in her drink should get that little monster all worked up. It could start trying to rip its way out at any moment. You need to be ready."

Back at the dinner table, Bra was definitely showing signs of being in distress. Marron could see her telling Goten to back off and keep quiet as she returned to her seat, but the others were too busy to notice.

"Ohhh, SHIT!" Bra shouted.

At that point, Goten couldn't sit quietly any longer. He rose up from his seat clumsily and rushed behind Bra. He pulled the chair out and scooped her up into his arms.

"That's it. I'm taking her to the hospital. I think the baby is coming!" His face was lit up and excited, but also worried from Bra's state of pain.

Bulma shot up from her seat, knocking it backwards and grabbing at Vegeta to rise as well. Trunks stood up and looked around at everyone wondering what he should do. Bra groaned, but just as she began to relax, an audible snap cracked across the room followed by a blood-curdling scream.

Marron's eyes traveled to Goten's arm. He was drenched in blood. Bra was bleeding profusely and Marron knew why. She could only watch in horror while Goten was too shocked to move.

"This isn't normal! Bulma! Call an ambulance!" Goten exclaimed.

Bra looked woozy and seemed to be losing consciousness fast as she gripped her stomach in pain. Her head wobbled against his arm and her skin was turning pale white. Marron was beginning to feel the weight of the deal that she made, but she had to go through with it. Her mother's life depended on it.

Besides, the baby wasn't going to be a _normal_ baby. Hitake told her that it would be monstrous and terrifying. It would be a perfect weapon. She continued to justify its capture to herself. It would never look or act like a normal person. It was an experiment. It wasn't Bra's to keep. Marron's part in this was to get the whole family here and to retrieve the baby.

Vegeta, Bulma and Trunks rushed to Goten and tried to keep Bra awake and aware. Vegeta was more visibly shaken than anyone had ever seen him.

When they turned to leave, but the large doorway slammed shut in front of them.

Hitake laughed an evil, menacing laugh.

"Hitake, open these doors! What the hell is this? My daughter could die! She's bleeding like crazy!" Bulma screeched at the pompous man sitting at the head of the long dinner table with a crazed look in his eyes.

Continuing his maniacal laugh, he began rise from his seat. Marron stayed seated near him. She was far too terrified to move. Vegeta turned to him and held up his fist.

"What is the meaning of this? What in the hell do you think that you're doing?" Vegeta growled.

"You want me to open the door, huh? Okay."

Hitake rose his hand and blasted the door open with what looked like a purple and white ki blast. Their eyes looked on in horror as Vegeta lunged forward and attacked him. Hitake was flung backwards, but caught himself and punched Vegeta hard in the face. He fell to the ground and Hitake placed a foot on the back of his head and pressed down hard, causing Vegeta to call out in pain.

"Mikio, now!" He yelled towards the open doorway. "Do it now!"

Goten had just enough time to turn and mouth the name "Mikio?" before a large blast burst into the dining room and blew them all backwards against the wall. Marron stood quickly and felt the panic setting in. It seemed as though everything was moving in slow motion, clearly leading towards complete disaster.

Goten lost his grip on Bra, who flew into the curio cabinet against the opposite wall. Shards of glass flew everywhere. Goten smacked his head against the wall not far from her and screamed.

Mikio entered the room triumphantly and strolled over to Bra. He picked her up, letting the shards of glass fall from her hair. Marron wanted to stop him, but Hitake placed a hand on her shoulder and held her in her seat.

Trunks shook his head from his position on the floor, a shard of glass cutting into his hand. Dazed, he turned his head towards her in horror.

"Marron! Help us! Do something!" He called out.

Marron turned her head slowly towards him. Her eyes were full of tears and she struggled to maintain composure.

"I…can't…" She mouthed silently.

Trunks' eyes widened as his mouth hung open in disbelief. He looked like he didn't understand her words, like she was speaking a foreign language. His eyes traveled to Bra, hanging lifeless in Mikio's arms. Mikio was smiling over her like she was a prized trophy.

"We did it, son. Let's get that thing out of her. It's ours now. With its DNA, we will be able to control this silly planet and all of those near to it. The saiyans won't have a chance against us!" Hitake yelled, kicking a reeling Vegeta away from him.

Trunks transformed into his super saiyan form and lunged forward at Mikio, but hesitated slightly when he saw the look in his eyes.

Mikio's eyes were glowing golden and his muscles grew to epic proportions instantly. He powered up and kicked Trunks with force, shooting him backwards. Hitake laughed again, his eyes also glowing a brilliant silver color, but his body seemed to remain the same instead of transforming muscularly. Trunks laid on the floor in a pool of blood with both legs splayed outwards, clearly broken. Bulma screeched in horror.

Marron couldn't take anymore. She had to do something and her anger was beginning to be too great to contain. She stood from her chair and released her own powers with a piercing scream. Her eyes glowed purple, her body gained muscles, and her expression was out of control angry. She darted forward and attempted to grab Bra from Mikio.

"What the hell are you doing?" He yelled.

"I'm getting this over with! There's no point to all of the theatrics. Give her to me!" Marron growled and snatched Bra from Mikio forcefully.

Trunks felt his heart break as he watched her in action. Her strength rivaling his own, she placed her hands over Bra's stomach and began to turn it. Bra looked as though she was shocked back to life with electricity and began to scream without end. Marron's glowing hands then hovered above her, twisting and turning occasionally as though she was guiding something out of her with invisible magnets. The sound was excruciating with screaming and gushing. Trunks felt himself getting queasy, but he just couldn't get up to help her. He could no longer feel his legs.

"Goten! Goten, wake up!" Trunks pleaded desperately, "Goten! Save my sister!"

Goten's unconscious face seemed to be waking up slowly from all of the screaming. Trunks started to crawl to him in desperation, now positive that he had several broken bones. He could see Vegeta in the corner of his eye against the far wall with a bloody face. Bulma's continuous screams were deafening.

He pulled himself up to Goten and slapped him hard. Goten woke, jolting to life and frantically looking around the room for an explanation.

"The hell…oh my, God!" Goten saw the horror unfolding before him. His mouth flew open and without hesitation, he pulled himself up from the floor and transformed into a super saiyan. He flew forward at Marron, who turned to him with fully purple, demon-looking eyes. She snarled at him while Mikio shot forward to defend her.

Goten and Mikio stood pushing against each other's arms, dead locked into an all-out war between each other's strength. Goten powered up and ascended to super saiyan 2, but it was still not enough.

"You were my friend! What are you doing? You will kill her!" Goten yelled in Mikio's face.

Mikio didn't answer. He was continuing to hold him off with ease, ready to kill at a moment's notice without any remorse. His eyes were now displaying the same demon-like quality that Marron had.

When hope seemed to dwindle, Trunks remembered that Tarble and Pan should still be reachable and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He dialed Pan's number and placed the phone to his face weakly.

"Hello?" Pan answered surprised to see his name calling.

"Pan! Pan, help us! Call Goku! He's gonna kill Bra!"

"What?" Pan asked in horror. Hitake approached Trunks and grabbed his phone, crushing it to dust.

"No one will interfere with this plan. Say your last prayers. You are going to die tonight!" Hitake bellowed proudly.

Behind him, Mikio and Goten continued fighting ferociously. Filling the room with purple and yellow fire, they battled for Bra and her baby. He had to save her at all costs, even if he would lose his own life.

Suddenly, a baby's cry rang out through the yells of battle. Time stopped. Everyone looked at Marron as she rose to her feet. Her eyes dulled, turning back to blue, and filled with uncontrollable tears. She slowly looked up at Mikio and Hitake and frowned angrily.

"This is a human baby! This is not a monster! You said that it wouldn't be human…you said that it wouldn't be normal…she is perfect…" Marron cried desperately, shielding the baby from harm.

Bra laid lifeless on the floor surrounded by blood. Goten punched Mikio hard in the face, knocking him back far enough for him to make a run for the baby.

Marron's eyes again entered slow motion. She saw Goten run for her, but Mikio grabbed him around the waist and didn't let him any closer to them. Goten thrashed violently and screamed, but his strength was no match for Mikio's strange, mutated form. Hitake grabbed the baby from Marron, punching her in the gut and turned to Goten.

At that moment, Goten realized why it always seemed like he knew Hitake. He felt his anger explode.

"I killed you…I killed you! I killed you with my bare hands! _You_ are the scientist from that cave! Get the hell away from my baby!" Goten yelled at Hitake.

"No, boy. I can never be killed. You just got lucky when I had a weak host." Hitake answered, shuffling Bra aside with his foot as he'd done with Vegeta. Marron held her face and continued to cry loudly.

"Stop your crying, girl. You've still got a purpose to serve unless you want your whole family to die!" Hitake snarled.

Hitake grabbed Marron's hair and blasted a hole through the magnificent ceiling above. Without a moment's notice, he took off into the sky. Goten continued to scream, completely overcome by so many emotions that he looked as though he wanted to die. Mikio sighed and slapped the back of his neck, knocking him out to silence him.

After a final glance around the room, he took off after his father and left them all there to die.


	16. Chapter 16

Through the darkness, a bright light began to creep into his vision. His head was pounding and when he wrenched his eyes open just a bit, his eyesight was quite blurry. He blinked several times, thinking that his vision would become clear, but he could still only see a burning white space.

A cold chill rolled slowly down his back all the way from his neck to his toes as dread crept in on him, whispering to him…_was this death?_ He couldn't afford think this way, but his subconscious mind was set on that explanation.

When he could finally open his eyes all the way, everything around him was covered in a fog that was impossible to see through. He could hear a voice calling his name, but it was so far away that he couldn't make out whose voice it was.

He got to his feet and began to feel around in the fog, but it was no use. He could only continue to wander in circles. Feeling panic setting in, he took a deep breath and tried to regain composure. He closed his eyes and listened with his body, feeling for any energy that might be nearby. A very low signal began to reveal itself onto his mental radar.

He kept his eyes closed and felt his way to the energy. He opened his eyes and looked to his left, or what he thought was his left after spinning around a few times, at a black mass was laying on the floor. He couldn't quite make out what the darkness was, but it looked to be in the shape of a human. He strained his eyes, trying to see through the clouds of thick fog, but it he was still too far to see anything.

Through a small clearing, a beam of white light coming from above began to shine down onto the black mass in front of him. His heart stopped and his body clenched with disbelief. This couldn't possibly be happening, he thought. Wake up, he exclaimed inside of his head. He reached out for the woman laying before him and swam through the clouds to her. He stumbled forward and fell to his knees beside her.

Bra was motionless, empty, and dressed in white.

"Honey?" Goten asked, afraid to touch her.

She wasn't pregnant, but she wasn't bloodied either. She looked perfectly elegant with rosy cheeks and smooth, silky hair curled like she was going to a fancy party. He felt the air inside of his lungs choking him, afraid of what he'd feel if he tried to find her pulse. The fear was carving into his soul and completely destroying his hope for this dream world to end. What if she was dead? Was he dead, too? Why wasn't she waking up if they were both dead? The question burned inside his mind.

The beam of light began to dim as the blindingly white world around him began to go dark. The light that illuminated her beautiful face faded into nothing. He reached forward, ready to take her hand, but she disappeared into blackness.

"Bra!" Goten exclaimed, but his lonely voice only echoed through nothingness and went unanswered.

He sat back onto the floor and scattered the wispy clouds around him into dust. "This is a dream…I'm dreaming…" Goten began to recite to himself. He pulled his knees to his chin and began to enter panic mode. He was terrified and alone with no recollection of how he got there.

Sitting in complete darkness with no hope left, he began to hear a cry. It was an infant's cry, but very distant. The voice from before sounded out as well, calling to him, pleading with him and growing more and more upset. He wanted to call out to the voice and respond, but the air in his lungs was too heavy to speak. He felt despair like he'd never felt before.

The baby continued to cry. He listened, unaware of the origin of the cry, until something inside of his mind snapped back into place.

"Lace?" Goten whispered.

The baby's crying worsened. He felt his chest grow tighter.

"Lace! Where are you?" He said quietly.

"Goten!" A voice screamed.

He fell backwards in fear. The scream was loud and horrifying, like it was right next to him. Without mistake, it was Bra's voice.

"Bra! Where are you? My God…answer me!" Goten pleaded and begged as he hopped to his feet and spun around. He was still blinded by the darkness.

"Goten! Help me!" Bra screamed again in agony, accompanied by the deafening cry of their child.

"Don't you hurt them! I'll kill you! Give them to me!" Goten yelled in a random direction. He felt his blood boiling and his anger rising to levels he'd only felt once before.

In a split second, he transformed into his super saiyan 2 form, glowing and illuminating the area around him. He ran forward towards the voice.

"Bra! Answer me! Where are you?" He snarled angrily, ready to kill on sight whoever was harming his family.

"Goten!" He heard her cry again, but this time, it was right in front of him.

He stopped and hesitated.

"Bra?"

He took one more small step forward, ready for anything.

"I'm here…Goten…"

His saiyan glow lit her face first, but soon revealed her bloodied body and pale skin. She held in her arms their newborn baby, but it was wrapped completely and it had stopped crying.

Goten's mouth fell open. He fell to his knees and looked on in horror as Bra rocked their silent baby.

"It's okay, Goten…she doesn't feel any pain anymore." Bra said quietly smiling at the wrapped up infant.

Goten began to scream. His power exploded around him while burning tears flowed down his cheeks. He lost his mind, pulling at his hair and feeling like he was drowning. It was endless and it was suffocating, too much for him to bear. Just as he was about to end everything himself, he felt hands on his shoulders shaking him forcefully.

"Goten! Goten, wake up!" Bra's voice was worried and urgent.

Goten gasped for air and shot forward with a jolt. Bra backed away, but continued to stare into his eyes intently.

He realized instantly that he'd gone super saiyan in his sleep. He hadn't even realized that it was possible. He looked down at his hands and watched them glow for a moment to make sure that this was the real world. Relaxing into his normal form, he also noticed that he was lying in a hospital bed surrounded by beeping and very worried doctors.

"It's okay…you've been out for two weeks…we were so worried. _I_ was so worried." Bra said breathlessly, correcting herself.

"_Two weeks?_" He gasped.

He looked towards the window and watched as rain pounded the glass.

"Yes." She followed his eye line to the window, "It's been storming ever since...The weather has been really, really bad. It's actually been really scary..."

He paused and moved his eyes down to her stomach. It was completely flat again, he thought. A smile widened, but Bra despaired and held up her hand. She realized then that his memory was not completely intact.

"Do you remember what happened?" She shooed the doctors out and closed the door behind them. "Do you remember…Hitake's?"

Goten thought for a moment. He remembered being at the fancy dinner. He even remembered Bra going into labor. Everything afterwards seemed like a dark blur. He strained his mind for details, but only came up with a blank slate.

"I can't remember how I got like this, but I remember you going into labor." He began to glow with excitement, "Where's my girl? Where's Lace?"

Bra looked down at her feet and held her breath. He filled with the same dread that he felt in his dream. He watched her closely as she leaned against the wall opposite him and sniffled painfully.

"They…took her. They ripped her out of me and took her."

Goten couldn't speak or breathe. His eyes widened and his mouth hung open. His throat seemed to close up, making breathing difficult. Thoughts began to flood through his mind and questions piled up before they could be organized. He searched the corners of his memory for some indication of this horrible realization. Suddenly, it all came back to him in one rush of images. Hitake, Mikio…Marron…they were different. They were monsters. They took Bra from him and Marron ripped their baby from Bra's womb with some kind of energy from her hands. His mind flashed to the moment that Hitake took a regretful Marron by the hair and forced her to leave with them.

"I thought….I thought that you were dead…" Goten said solemnly, dropping his head. He felt like he could throw up at any minute from the confusion and the pain.

Bra approached him slowly with tears rolling down her cheeks. She sat on the corner of the bed and rubbed her arms as though she was cold. She looked up at the ceiling and closed her sad eyes.

He could tell that she'd spent many days crying. The skin around her eyes was pink and puffy with mascara stains very lightly giving away her emotional toil even more. She brought her hands up to her forehead and combed her hair with her long, slender fingers before she spoke.

"I…regenerated?"

"Regenerated? Like…like Piccolo?" Goten frowned.

"Yes. And no. It wasn't like anything that we'd ever seen before. Mom's doctors couldn't believe their eyes. I healed on my own within a few hours."

Goten tried to sit up but he instantly groaned in pain. He peered under his thin hospital blanket and realized that his entire midsection was bandaged up heavily with gauze and wrapping. He felt his side pulsating slightly and figured that this must be the wound. As he considered the information that she'd given him, he combed his fingers through his thick, dark hair to find that his head was also bandaged and felt horribly black and blue. He sighed and idly wondered why the hell there were no senzu beans at this particular moment. So much had happened.

"Is everyone else okay?" Goten asked worriedly.

"Dad is fine. He refused medical care, but Hitake did knock him out easily in the fight. Their strength was simply unimaginable…even for my dad. Mom needed stiches, but she's also okay. Trunks was out for two days. Both of his legs were broken badly enough to need surgery, so he's still recovering next door. If Pan wouldn't have shown up with Tarble and Goku…we could all be dead right now. They saved us." Bra paused and considered her next words carefully.

"Dad has been on the hunt for their…hideout… constantly with Gohan, Goku and Piccolo, but…"

"Piccolo is back?" Goten interrupted, searching for any answer that could possibly make any sense.

"Yes. He came back a few days after it all happened and jumped right in. I hadn't seen him in years, but he hasn't aged a day. Still the same old Piccolo. He said he felt the strange ki explosions and wanted to check it out to make sure we were okay. He also couldn't explain my regeneration abilities, so that's why I said it wasn't like Piccolo. It's not like a Cell thing where I have some kind of mutated Namekian genes. This is something totally out of our realm of knowledge…" She looked down at her feet in shame, "What if I'm a monster like them…?"

Goten frowned and reached out his hand. She reluctantly took it slowly, but he quickly pulled her down to his chest. He held her tightly and kissed her head tenderly. She began to cry harder into his hospital gown. He was certainly angry that his baby was gone, but in his condition it was impossible to help. Knowing that his brother and father were on the hunt with Vegeta and Piccolo brought some comfort. Enough comfort to stay in bed with the woman that he loved for now.

"Hey…" Goten whispered softly.

Bra peered up at him between sniffles. Her soft face had never looked so desperately sad.

"You are not a monster. You are beautiful and I love you. We will get through this and we will bring our daughter home. Lace _will_ come home."

Tears filled his eyes when Bra nodded. She reached up and kissed him for a long while.

"Thinking that you were dead…it was the worst feeling that I've ever experienced." Goten whispered, running his hands down her long hair.

He couldn't describe the happiness that he felt with her in his arms, but the thought that his daughter was not with them was like a gaping hole in his heart. He wanted to be strong and make it through until they had her home again, but the pain was swallowing him alive.

A knock to the door startled them both out of their worrisome thoughts.

"Come in." Goten answered.

The door slowly creaked open, revealing a pair of black eyes and thick rimmed glasses peering around the corner.

"Hey, bro…how are you feeling?" Gohan asked as he walked through the doorway with Goku and Pan.

Pan rushed to his bedside and grabbed his hand. She placed her forehead on his hand and started apologizing frantically.

"I'm so sorry…I should have been faster. I wish I'd gotten there sooner. I am so sorry!" Pan sobbed into Goten's hand with regret.

"It's not your fault, Pan. I'm grateful that you saved us."

She looked up at him and shook her head.

"I didn't save you. Tarble saved you."

Goten looked at the doorway behind Goku where a short, thin saiyan in a black hoodie and jeans stood shyly.

"Hey, Goten." Tarble said quietly.

"Hey…Thank you for saving us." Goten answered with a forced, weak smile.

Tarble leaned on the doorway and nodded proudly. He was so unlike the rest of them in his mannerisms, thought Goten. He seemed overly anxious but always very proper, afraid to say the wrong thing but confident at the same time. The Son family was certainly not one to be so foreign with each other. It was times like these that Tarble truly seemed related to Vegeta, aside from his lack of constant angry expressions.

"I think we've got a good lead this time. I'm not sure, but it seems like there's an area near the ocean that is completely off the grid. Bulma's running scans to make sure we can enter…it seems like wherever these guys go, radiation is present." Gohan began to go through the facts, analyzing data and spewing random knowledge. It all sounded like psychobabble to Goten. He only cared about rescuing Lace, and he'd walk through any amount of radiation to get her.

Hours later, Goten woke from yet another nightmare. He had been sweating, but did not transform. He sat up and reached for his glass of water next to the bed and drank it quickly. He finally felt a little strength returning to his body.

He looked around the room and saw that the large, analog clock read 2:30 AM. He wondered who was still awake. He decided to get up and walk around, but his legs were extremely lethargic. He'd forgotten just how long he'd been asleep.

With heavy eyes, he realized that Bra was sleeping on a cot next to his bed. He watched her for a while, taking in the sweet, peaceful face that he'd missed so much. She looked better now that Goten was awake and not in a coma. He wondered how much pain she'd endured while he was out. It hurt too much to think of such things.

He decided to take a peek at whatever was on his side. He slowly peeled back the bandaging and looked down. A perfect set of stitches lined up on his hip sent chills up his spine. He wondered if it was from the shattered ceiling, perhaps something sharp stabbed him when he was in shock.

"Goten?" Bra mumbled sleepily, "Hey…leave your bandages alone…"

He smiled and met her beautiful, blue eyes. The rain was still hurdling at the window with force, but in the soft light of a single lamp in their hospital room, it almost felt like home. He motioned for her to join him and she crawled up onto his bed. The feeling of her arms wrapping gently around his body made him ache inside for everything to be okay.

Suddenly, Goku nearly ripped the door off as he burst into the room. He face was full of that characteristic, Goku-hope.

"We found them, Goten! We found them!" He was extremely pleased with himself.

"Let's go! Ow!" Goten tried to hop right out of bed, but took his IV bag and cords with him. He also hadn't accounted for the fact that he hadn't stood up in weeks. He fell to the ground with a hard thud and ripped out the IV, spewing blood everywhere.

"I'm going!" He said, holding pressure on his bleeding arm.

It seemed as though the entire room had no place to argue with him. Though injured, he was still a father that lost his daughter. There was no keeping him away.

"That's it, then. We leave at dawn." Said a familiar voice from the doorway.

"Piccolo!" Goten smiled up at him, but twitched from the still bleeding rip in his arm.

"Get yourself together and we'll kick some ass like the old days." Piccolo smirked.

"Well you heard him, son. Get yourself all patched up and we'll be ready to go at dawn. We'll get your baby back!" Goku triumphantly declared.

Just as quickly as they appeared, they left Goten and Bra alone again. The joy and hope was like oxygen after drowning.

"Okay…I suppose that I have to clean your arm up…you big goof." Bra said through tears of happiness.

She was smiling uncontrollably. Goten watched as she bandaged his arm. Her smile began to disturb him slightly…it was the perfect mix of unconditional love and deadly revenge.


	17. Chapter 17

Pan stood outside of Trunks' hospital room peering through a small crack in the door. He was sleeping, but she wanted to tell him the good news.

"You know…I can sense you out there, Pan…"

Pan jumped and immediately apologized. She popped into the doorway and closed the door behind her. He laughed at her and sat up a little bit. Even though she'd seen him since he got to the hospital, his legs were still horrible to look at. They were both in giant casts and held in place by skinny, metal poles. It looked very painful, but he was definitely using his morphine pump to its full potential.

His expression looked quite loopy today, she thought. She was bothered by seeing him so weak regardless of his situation. This man, the one she grew up loving, was a man more who she'd never imagined could be strapped to a bed without the ability to walk. With a mournful sigh she pulled up a chair and flopped down, propping one foot up on the side of his bed and bending her knee.

"I like your chucks." Trunks said playfully.

Pan looked down at her converse shoes and smiled. They were her favorite; black converse with black shoe laces. Bra had been trying to bribe her for them for days now, though she could easily just go out and buy her own.

"I like your…accessories." Pan blushed and poked his leg gently.

"I'm a cripple, but least I'll walk again. They say that I was really lucky. I have you to thank for that."

Pan blushed again. She did in fact save Trunks. She is the one who carried him all the way to the hospital before anyone else could touch him. He became conscious before she left, but she had yet to visit him while he was awake before now.

"How come you haven't stopped by? It's not like I can seek you out to thank you with these excellent legs." Trunks laughed as he continued to playfully mock her, but she was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Trunks noticed her uneasy expression.

"They found the hideout. We leave at dawn. We're going to get the baby back today." Pan answered confidently.

"Really? Thank God. I sure hope they kill those sons of bitches before I can get to them! Though…I'm sure Goten will take care of them all." He paused and thought for a moment about his next words carefully, "Can I ask…what will you guys do to Marron?"

Pan's eyes widened. She didn't expect for Trunks to directly ask _her_ about Marron.

"What do you _want_ us to do?" Pan nearly bit off her tongue.

Trunks sighed loudly and stared at the ceiling. He was blushing and having trouble answering such a question. Pan wanted to apologize, but she was too embarrassed. This wasn't his fault, she thought. This was the fault of that evil, conniving liar that he let into his heart. This was-

"I knew that she was lying all along." Trunks whispered.

Pan nearly fell out of her chair. She stomped her once propped up foot on the ground and hopped to her feet.

"What do you mean, you knew? You knew that she was going to pull this?"

Trunks rolled his eyes and shook his head no.

"Then explain to me how you knew that she was plotting something! Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"It was this weird text she got when we were overseas. I thought it was about my money."

He turned his head on the pillow and looked straight at Pan, causing her to blush violently as her stomach flipped with excitement. Those piercing, blue eyes could simply melt away any un-pleasantries from her day. She slowly sat back into her seat again, eagerly awaiting the rest of his explanation.

"The text said something about take it soon before he figures it out. I'd been watching my bank account for money movement, but it never happened, so I forgot about it. I wanted to believe that she wasn't playing me and actually loved me…"

Pan felt angry. Her face was hot and her heart was screaming at him. She loved him and had never told him a single lie. Why the hell was he interested in a backstabbing bitch like Marron instead of an honest, saiyan girl like her? Her frustration must have been apparent because Trunks held out a hand to her. She stared at it for a moment wondering what to do. Before she could decide, Trunks snatched her fist up from the bedding she was holding onto. He squeezed her hand open and held it tightly.

"Well how are things with Tarble? You guys seem really close."

His hot gaze pierced into her like a knife.

"They're…they're good. I mean, they were…until this happened…"

Trunks looked confused and cocked his head to one side.

"How do you mean?"

"He barely speaks. It's almost like he lost his _own_ child." Pan admitted

Trunks sighed. Something clicked in his head quickly while Pan continued trying to understand.

"Did you ever think that maybe it had to do with the fact that his wife was killed by these guys?"

"What? You think it's that?"

Pan's innocent eyes lit up. Trunks snickered.

"You have so much to learn. You may look older, but you've still got a lot of growing up to do, kid."

Pan grimaced. The last thing she wanted to hear was how immature she was, especially from Trunks.

"While we're on the topic…and while no one else is around…I know that you did this to yourself for me. This age…it's crazy. But it's such a "you" thing to do. I am not brave enough to do what you did for anything let alone love. You're such a brave person. I have to ask, though…if you're so in love with me, like I think you are, then what are you doing with Tarble? He's lived a lifetime and now he's got a serious do-over to get through…are you sure you want that kind of burden and baggage? I'm telling you…it's his wife dying that's making him act different, like you say. That'd mess anyone up."

Pan froze. Her eyes were wide and her heart fell.

What _was_ she doing with Tarble?

She thought for a moment of how to answer. She did care about him and cared how he felt, but was she only with him because she felt sorry for him? Her brain tossed back and forth, but when she looked up into Trunks' eyes again, she couldn't resist. The ancient need for Trunks' approval and affections carved into her heart. Maybe if Tarble was thinking about his ex-wife, she could think about her ex-crush.

"I keep trying to pretend that he's you."

Trunks watched her cautiously. His face was blank at first, staring into space and considering a response. Pan began to feel extremely uncomfortable and nervous. She noticed that her palms were sweaty and rubbed them on her shirt. The silence dragged on, pounding into her ears and driving her crazy.

"I guess I have to admit…you are one _gorgeous_ woman." Trunks shrugged with a flirtatious smile.

Pan blushed violently, but it felt good. Tarble complimented her all the time, but he never had this effect on her. Trunks complimenting her looks was like a miracle out of thin air. She tried to think of something witty to say, but a glimmer of a familiar ki popped into her head. She couldn't tell who it was, but she could tell someone was outside.

"I think my dad's outside…we might be leaving soon."

"Hey…come over here…I wanna tell you something, but it's a secret."

Pan realized that Trunks was probably very out of his mind. The pain killers he'd been given were the strongest in the hospital thanks to Bulma. She decided whatever he had to say might be worth her while regardless and leaned forward nervously.

Her face felt hot as she approached him. She quivered slightly, making it feel incredibly awkward.

"You really are…_so pretty_…"

Placing his hand gently over hers on his bed, he reached up and kissed her softly. It wasn't much, but she nearly lost her footing and fell. She felt an explosion of happiness erupt inside of her stomach like fireworks and her soul quaked with longing.

When he pulled away, he whispered softly "Please come back safely."

Pan nodded before turning around and practically floating out of the room. She had a dopey smile on her face and felt like her arms and legs were made of jelly. Everything was numb, but in a good way. She was so incredibly satisfied by such a simple gesture that it all made sense to her now. The thought of hurting Tarble with the truth wasn't even on her mind.

When she turned to walk down the hallway, her entire high disappeared. Tarble stood there in front of her, mouth hanging open and eyes wide. He looked pale. She couldn't move, but felt the smile that had been spread across her face fall into a frown.

"Tarble…" She whispered.

"I…I was coming to telling you that we're leaving…"

Pan stuttered, searching for words.

"Were you…listening?"

"I...heard enough…"

Pan didn't know how to answer. She stood silently, staring at him and feeling stupid. He was her first boyfriend and she couldn't help but feel a little attached, but Trunks showing interest in her made any fleeting feelings for Tarble go away in an instant. Perhaps she wasn't as mature as she wished that she was.

"I thought that what we had…I thought you realized that he will never love you…like I love you…"

Pan inhaled sharply. Tarble's hurt face turned away from her and started down the hallway.

"I'm so sorry, Tarble. I didn't mean to hurt you!"

He sighed and turned back to face her. The look on his face was apathetic. He looked wise, far beyond the years he displayed in his younger body.

"I accept your apology, however I will not forget the words that you spoke. You spoke the truth to him…I only wish that I understood why you could not speak the truth to me. You called me your best friend. We spent every day together…we almost…"

He turned and walked away quickly. Pan held her chest like she'd been shot. Was this feeling real or was it only because another opportunity presented itself? Did she love Tarble after all? She'd never felt so confused in her entire life. She pushed the emotions away and followed him downstairs at a stark distance.

When they arrived at the meeting place, Goten stood next to his father and brother talking with Piccolo near the front entrance of the hospital. He had a bandage wrapped around his head, but it appeared that he took off the wrapping from his side. Bra was talking with Vegeta and Bulma away from the group, looking nervous and fidgety. Piccolo turned to them and nodded, so Bulma kissed Vegeta and hugged her daughter good-bye. Wishing them good-luck, she waved to Goku and turned to make a call on her cell, most likely to Chichi and Videl who stayed at home.

_It was finally time_, she thought.

They took off at full speed in the sky, but hid their ki's as much as possible. Goten was up front and continuously grabbed his side in pain. Pan worried that his stitches might slow him down, but adrenaline would probably prevail when he saw his daughter. The wind whipping them as they tore through the cold, damp sky was probably not helping.

Bra flew beside him with her hair blowing everywhere. Pan wondered why she didn't put it up in a ponytail like she had herself, but marveled at Bra's beauty. She'd always been jealous of how gorgeous Bra was, but hand in hand with her uncle Goten she seemed to radiate beauty. Getting this baby back meant everything for the future of the entire family.

Vegeta and Goku flew behind the couple with Piccolo trailing slightly behind. Gohan was talking to Piccolo. Pan wondered if for them this is what it felt like when they were going to fight Cell or Frieza. The stories she'd grown up hearing sounded so much more exhilarating than this feeling that she had. Her stomach was in nervous knots and she could feel Tarble glancing at her with hurt every few minutes. Even with his pain fresh in her mind, she couldn't help but wish that Trunks was there to fight with them.

When her mind wandered on to the thought of Trunks, Marron popped up in her mind. She pictured him with her, loving her, kissing her…it was enough to make her ki rise above everyone else's. Gohan turned around and gave her a look, making her realize her anger. She had to calm down, she thought. It was probably wise to save her energy for the fight with the crazy people, not waste it thinking about her love-rival.

After about an hour, they came upon a heavily wooded, mountainous region. It was just past West City, where Goku's family lived, but far enough away to keep their village safe from harm.

When the ocean could be seen raging ahead, they knew they'd arrived. Goten and Bra descended quickly to the ground, followed by the rest of the crew. Pan noticed that they were not letting go of each other's hands. She smiled at the sight.

"Okay…let's do this, guys. Stay quiet. Stay alert. They probably already know that we're here." Goku said calmly.

"Don't do anything stupid. That goes for all of you." Vegeta added with a grumble.

Suddenly, a cry broke the quiet sounds of nature. It was a baby's cry, just like Goten had dreamed of. Bra lost her composure and jolted forward.

"Lace!" She called into the cave.

Pan watched as panic erupted. Goten and Bra disappeared as quickly as they'd arrived, running at full speed towards the cry. Guards ran towards the entrance and began attacking, but it seemed that they were normal-strength saiyans. Goku, Gohan, Piccolo and Vegeta seemed able to hold them off rather easily. She looked around and realized that she was scared stiff, cemented to the ground.

"Tarble!" She felt herself scream as a guard ran straight for her.

The guard hit her harder than she'd ever been hit before. Her face felt numb for a moment, like she'd just plunged her head into a bucket of ice water. Then she felt the sting of the blow setting in. Her nose felt like it split in half.

She flew through the air and slammed into the dirt below a large tree. She stayed down, afraid to move.

"Stay the hell away from her!"

She heard Tarble fighting the man and protecting her. She began to cry. This was not supposed to happen. She was stronger than this! She tried to pry herself up from the ground and looked around. Everyone was super saiyan, fighting brutally. Vegeta and Goku had defeated their guards, but more seemed to be approaching. Piccolo saved Gohan the pain of a blind blow from behind, but was attacked and knocked to the ground shortly after. The air was filled with yells and shouts, making birds fly from the trees into the briefly clear sky. The rain would come again. They had to move inside the cave before they managed to escape with the baby.

A loud bang from inside the cave distracted the guards long enough for them to finally put them all down. Tarble stood over the guard that attacked Pan completely out of breath.

"I think…that was Goten." He said between gasps.

Goku and Gohan exchanged worried looks before waving everyone inside. They ran towards the sound, guided only by the light of their super saiyan flames. Pan had yet to transform out of shame. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and pushed on, thinking only of her uncle and worrying that he was hurt.

They turned a sharp corner. Light flooded the area. Clearly, this was where the explosion occurred.

"Guys, power down…this doesn't look good. Conserve your strength." Goku said as they snuck around the corner and into the light.

He looked side to side and motioned silently for the others to enter. They snuck across the room quietly, kicking up dust as they walked. The air was thick and stuffy, causing a few of them to muffle small coughs that echoed through the large room. There was no sign of Goten or Bra, but there were more guards scattered about in pieces. Clearly Goten had gotten angry. Pan shuddered as they passed each piece of a guard. The blood and suffering was real this time, not just a story. Only in this case, they couldn't afford to lose anyone. The people here were too important. If any one of these people died, Pan would die, too, she thought.

On the opposite side of the wall, there was a small opening that looked like a doorway. They began to hear the baby crying again, but did not act. They'd learned their lesson from the last time. It sounded close, like they were only in the next room over, but there was no entrance. Vegeta walked up to the wall and placed and ear on it, listening intently.

"It's definitely coming from the other room…you don't need to do that." Piccolo said snidely to Vegeta.

"Shut up, Namekian. I can think for myself without your stupid super hearing!" He growled.

"Okay, let's keep level heads here…" Gohan said calmly.

"I think we're missing something. There must be a door or something that we aren't seeing." Goku said as he circled the strange, stone room looking for answers.

Tarble stayed quiet and stared at the spot where the light was shining in. He looked to be in deep thought. Pan wondered if he was thinking about her, but quickly laughed it off in her head. Why, at a time like this, was she thinking about him? The baby was clearly in distress and it was making her head feel like it would explode at any moment.

Pan sat down on the dirty floor and nursed her bloody nose. When she hit the ground, she felt that it was beginning to shake. The dirt from around the walls began to shake off and glisten in the light. They looked around, Piccolo listened hard, but nothing indicated what was causing the small Earthquake.

In an instant, the walls came crashing down around them. They jolted upwards, blasting their way through rubble and shouting things to each other. Pan flew up high and looked down to see Bra standing in front of Goten. He was sitting on the floor holding the crying baby, but his side looked like the stitches ripped and he was bleeding quite profusely from it. He was curled around the baby protectively, shielding her from the debris and dust flying everywhere.

It was Bra who was in charge now. She stood yelling angrily, powering up to unbelievable levels. She was glowing purple, with her hair flying all around her. She turned super saiyan, but it was different than Pan had seen before. Purple electricity coursed through her spikey, blonde hair and her eyes shined bright blue. She'd changed from before, no longer toting the weirdly-colored eyes that these aliens seemed to have. She was a true super saiyan, apart from her incredible power and purple electricity. Goten was also super saiyan, but his power level was nothing compared to hers. He was looking up at the grey sky. They looked and saw Mikio and Hitake hovering and also glowing with colored electricity. Mikio was holding Marron up on his shoulder, but she appeared to be knocked out. She looked extremely tattered and beaten up.

"Give it up! What's done is done! Her cells have been sent to my facilities on many other planets already! You killing me will not stop our master plan to create a new elite race of warriors! She is only patient zero of our successful and fantastic plans!" Hitake bellowed and laughed maniacally, dodging and blasting away anything Bra shot at him.

Pan noticed that Mikio looked very upset. His face was red like he'd been crying and he, too, looked very beaten up. She wondered if Bra and Goten had gotten to Marron and him first, but the wounds seemed old. His left eye was black as though he'd been punched a few days ago, not a few minutes ago.

Bra stopped shooting ki blasts and let her arms fall to her sides. Pan and the others watched her, confused and scared, ready to attack at a moments' notice.

"You've crossed me for the last time, Hitake. Let them both go or I'll make it the slowest and most painful death you could ever imagine." Bra shouted loudly.

"You think that you have leverage over me? I'll kill them both myself! Mikio, too, was nothing more than an experimental child! He was the first and failed attempt at the masterpiece that is your child! Even that pureblood saiyan from universe six was a failed attempt…"

"What saiyan?" Bra gasped.

"The one you call Caulifla? It appears her escape back to their planet of Sadala was only to cover up the fact that she was pregnant with Cabba's child! What a waste of a life…I've never seen such a reaction. The child will probably die soon." Hitake laughed, "If only Mikio, here, could've been so lucky."

They gasped and looked at Mikio, whose face told the entire story. He clearly had no idea that any of this was even possible. Tears streamed down his face as he shook with disbelief.

"Father…" Mikio whispered, still supporting an unconscious Marron.

"I killed your mother as soon as you were born! She was only the carrier of my fantastic new genome. When you were born, I gave it sometime, thinking that your powers would emerge, but alas…you are completely worthless! I sent you off as soon as the opportunity presented itself, hoping one day that you could help me do just this. You've served your purpose in life, boy!" Hitake laughed maniacally.

"How…could you?" Goten said, looking up from his still crying infant. "How could you do this to your own child? To my child? What will she become?"

"She will be perfection. She will be exquisite. She will blow this tiny planet into pieces!" Hitake laughed again.

Bra had heard enough. She raised her arms and blasted Hitake without warning, enveloping him in a purple haze that seemed to be constricting his body. He screamed in pain between crazy laughs.

"This is the power! This is our future! Your child will lead us into a new era of pain and suffering beneath the feet of the royal blood!" Hitake began to disintegrate, but he held on and shot a blast back at Bra that landed on her arm. She screamed and her blast weakened, giving him the upper hand.

Pan looked around, but no one was moving. Everyone simply had their mouths hanging open as they watched in fear.

"Why isn't anyone doing anything?" Pan exclaimed.

"We can't…this power…she has to win this." Vegeta answered. He was clearly using every ounce of restraint possible.

Just as Pan was about to give in and shoot her own blasts, Goten stood up and stood beside Bra at her injured arm. He sent a massive Kamehameha up to join Bra's energy blast, making it an unstoppable force. It seemed to be more powerful than any blast he'd ever used, but Goku quickly realized why.

"It's…it's the baby. She's helping them…" Goku's mouth hung open.

A smirk curled across Vegeta's proud face.

Baby Lace had stopped crying and seemed to be concentrating. Only a few days old, her tiny face was focused forward and staring at Hitake. She had an aura around her that was mixing with her parents' super saiyan powers. It was breathtaking as the small family destroyed the man before them.

When he was finally destroyed, they stopped and collapsed to the ground. Goten held up Lace and handed her to Bra, who hugged her and began to cry. They looked up at the others with smiles spread across their faces and motioned for them to join below.

Goku and Gohan shot down quickly, running towards them. Goku scooped them up and hugged Bra and Lace. He placed a hand on Lace's face.

"You're a little fighter aren't you? I'm so glad that you were here to save us!" He said to the tiny infant.

"Look at her eyes…" Gohan said with amazement.

Vegeta and Tarble landed nearby and slowly approached the group. Pan decided that she wanted to be close to her family and pushed by Tarble. She hung on Gohan's arm and looked on as baby Lace stared intently back at them.

"Her eyes…" Pan said quietly.

"They're part of her powers. It's nothing to be afraid of." A voice said from behind them.

Mikio was limping towards them dragging Marron along beside him. Piccolo stood in front of him to block his approach.

"Look, my father forced us to do this…He threatened to kill Marron's mother. I'm the one who had to bribe her. I'm also the one who injected her with the serum…" He looked down at his feet in shame. "From what I understand, we're like hybrids after being injected. We have access to some powers, but Bra has more power since Lace grew inside of her. Lace will be…well, from the designs in his lab…she'll be incredible. It's a shame that the other baby didn't turn out so lucky."

Vegeta and Goku frowned.

"What do you mean by that?" Vegeta asked.

"The boy that was born on Sadala a few weeks ago…he almost died. I just had to watch. I wasn't allowed to do anything. My father wanted to see how it played out…luckily the saiyan healers were able to help him, but not without permanent damage."

Bra looked down at her baby and held her close. Her bright blue eyes were decorated with a glowing, pink ring around her pupils. Lace blinked and yawned before falling asleep peacefully.

"I can't believe Caulifla had a baby…" Goku gasped.

"_That's _what you can't believe?" Vegeta grumbled, "Idiot."

With a small chuckle from the group, they all lifted into the air and began their journey back to West City. Pan hoped that now she could focus on her love life. Tarble was less than thrilled to be returning without his would-be girlfriend. Goten and Bra hoped that they could resume a normal, family lifestyle. However, _everything_ was completely uncertain and so devastatingly complicated.


End file.
